Berlin - We probably shouldn't dwell on the past year too much - crappy and depressing as it often was. But we thought it could be informative and a little fun to let some of the year's statistics - some important, some obscure - speak for themselves. Here's our patchy numerical snapshot of the year 2020 in Berlin and Germany:
Percentage of German voters who agreed with the statement "politics and media were deliberately exaggerating the dangers of the coronavirus to deceive the public": 20 (source)
Percentage of AfD supporters who agree with the above statement: 54
Percentage of Germans who doubt the existence of the coronavirus: 15 (source)
Number of people estimated to have marched at the year's largest corona sceptic demo on 29 August: 38,000 (source)
Estimated number of people at the Black Lives Matter "silent protest" on Alexanderplatz on 6 June: 15,000 (source)
Number of Germans who switched to remote work ("Homeoffice") in 2020: 10.5 million (source)
Rise in remote-control vibrator sales reported by Berlin online sex shop Amorelie in April, in per cent: 50 (source)
Total construction costs of BER airport that opened on Halloween, in euros: 5.96 billion (source)
Years by which the airport opening was delayed: 9
Drop in the number of foreign tourists visiting Berlin in the first 9 months of 2020, in per cent: 71.2 (source)
Drop in the population of Berlin last year: 7,039 (source)
Cost of the 4km U5 extension from Alexanderplatz to Brandenburg Gate that opened on 4 Decemeber, in euros: 540 million (source)
Kilometres of tram line that could be built for that money: 85
Cyclist deaths in Berlin so far in 2020: 18 (source)
Cyclist deaths caused by trucks turning right at traffic lights in 2020: 7
Cyclist deaths in 2019: 7
Number of households estimated to benefit from Berlin's new Mietendeckel or rent cap: 340,000 (source)
Drop in the number of Berlin weddings in the first half of 2020 compared to the first half of 2019: 900
Capital raised by Berlin psychedelic drugs start-up ATAI Life Sciences in November, in US dollars: 125 million (source).
Estimated income of Berlin crime gangs last year, in euros: 135.5 million (source)
1 F.C. Union's current position in the Bundesliga: 6
Hertha BSC: 14
Number of Union fans busted by the Ordnungsamt for singing Christmas carols and drinking beer outside of the Alte Försterei stadium this December: 30 (source)
Number of Union fans who normally take part in the club's Christmas singalong: 30,000
Letters written to the German Santa in 2020: 320,000 (source)
And finally, the number of monthly readers of Berliner Zeitung English Edition, five months after launching in August: 60,000
Thanks for reading! Merry Christmas! Frohes Fest! We'll see you on Monday.
The English Edition Team
