How many insurance intermediaries are there in Germany?
Germany had 178,810 insurance intermediary registrations under GewO §34d in July 2026 (DIHK Vermittlerregister, reliability A). The breakdown is 97,780 tied agents, 47,244 brokers, 27,272 licensed agents, 5,581 accessory agents, 595 accessory brokers and 338 fee-based insurance advisers. These are register records, not people.
Updated . Figures keep their period, source and reliability grade.
Key figures
| Metric | Value | Period | Source | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insurance intermediary registrations (GewO §34d) | 178,810 registrations | July 2026 | DIHK Vermittlerregister statistics | A |
| Tied agents | 97,780 registrations | July 2026 | DIHK Recht und Statistik Versicherungsvermittler, July 2026 | A |
| Brokers | 47,244 registrations | July 2026 | DIHK Recht und Statistik Versicherungsvermittler, July 2026 | A |
| Licensed agents | 27,272 registrations | July 2026 | DIHK Recht und Statistik Versicherungsvermittler, July 2026 | A |
| Accessory agents | 5,581 registrations | July 2026 | DIHK Recht und Statistik Versicherungsvermittler, July 2026 | A |
| Accessory brokers | 595 registrations | July 2026 | DIHK Recht und Statistik Versicherungsvermittler, July 2026 | A |
| Fee-based insurance advisers | 338 registrations | July 2026 | DIHK Recht und Statistik Versicherungsvermittler, July 2026 | A |
| Independent multi-product intermediaries, midpoint | 80,000 (65,000 to 100,000) intermediaries, modelled midpoint with range | July 2026 | emable Germany Intelligence package, version 2026-08-27 | C |
The answer
Germany had 178,810 insurance intermediary registrations under GewO §34d in July 2026 (DIHK, reliability A). These are register records, not people. A firm and its principals can each hold a record, and some records belong to entities that no longer advise.
The July 2026 DIHK breakdown shows six categories. Tied agents lead with 97,780 records, brokers follow with 47,244 and licensed agents with 27,272. Accessory agents (5,581), accessory brokers (595) and fee-based insurance advisers (338) complete the total.
Beyond the official rows, the emable Germany Intelligence package estimates about 80,000 independent multi-product intermediaries (range 65,000 to 100,000). It also estimates about 45,000 unique pool-affiliated intermediaries (range 35,000 to 55,000). Both estimates carry reliability C.
The numbers
Every figure behind this answer sits in the key figures table above, with its value, unit, period, source and reliability grade: A official statistics, B reconciled from published sources, C modelled estimate, D indicative.
How the number is built
DIHK aggregates the Vermittlerregister, which the 79 IHK regions maintain. Each registration is one record under one category. The six categories are separate within §34d, so they add up to the 178,810 total.
The total does not add across paragraphs. An intermediary with §34d and §34f registrations appears in both counts. That is why the four GewO rows together (278,587) are not a count of unique entities.
The multi-product and pool-affiliated estimates come from the package model, not from the register. The pool figure counts unique intermediaries connected to at least one broker pool. Pools overlap, so it is not a sum of pool membership claims.
What it means for distribution
Tied agents hold more records than any other category, and the channel structure follows. Single-tied agents wrote 37.6 percent of life and 41.1 percent of non-life new business in 2024 (GDV, reliability A). Multi-tied agents and brokers together took a similar share.
For a distributor, the useful cut is not the total but the category. A broker pool addresses the 47,244 broker records and part of the 27,272 licensed agents. An insurer's tied organisation addresses 97,780 records that are contractually committed elsewhere. Fee-based advice remains small at 338 records, consistent with 97 percent of intermediaries being remunerated by commission.
Go deeper
- How is insurance distributed in Germany?: the channel split for life and non-life.
- Which advisory networks and broker pools matter in Germany?: the pool and network review list.
- Germany market intelligence: package, evidence labels and access.
- Company intelligence capability: a structured brief on any named intermediary.
Related questions
- Are the six §34d categories additive?
- Yes, within §34d: the six categories are separate and sum to 178,810. They are not additive with the §34f or §34i registers, because one intermediary can hold several registrations.
- How many intermediaries work through broker pools?
- The package estimates about 45,000 unique pool-affiliated intermediaries (range 35,000 to 55,000, reliability C). Pools overlap, so this is not a sum of pool membership claims.
- Is a registration the same as an active intermediary?
- No. A registration is a record. Some records belong to firms, some to principals of the same firm and some to entities that no longer advise. Active headcount is an estimate with a range.
Methodology and limitations
DIHK aggregates the Vermittlerregister maintained by the 79 IHK regions, and each registration is one record under one §34d category. The six categories add up within §34d but not across GewO paragraphs, because one intermediary can hold several registrations. The multi-product and pool-affiliated figures are package estimates at reliability C, not register rows.
Primary sources
Explore Germany market intelligence