Merchant fleet : The German merchant fleet ranks third in combined capacity, behind the British and North American, but ranks second in regard to the number and capacity of merchant steamers. On January 1st 1904 the total crew of the German merchant navy was 58,747 men.

Inventory of the German merchant navy:

Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) ¹ : The Imperial Navy had at its disposal on January 1st 1905 27 ships-of-the-line, of which 5 were outdated (built 1877-1880) and 4 substandard, 8 coastal ironclad vessels, 6 battle cruisers, 6 large cruisers, 37 small cruisers, 10 canon boats, 20 school ships, 12 special ships, 7 port ships, in total 114 warships, with a combined crew of 40,822 men.

Emigration : In the last six years, German overseas emigration has gradually increased. In 1903 it had reached the figure of 36,310, but sank in 1904 to 27,984. In comparison to the 70es and 80es, this figure is low. In 1872 the emigration of Reich nationals amounted to 128,152; then it sank sharply, then to rise again, reaching 220,902 in 1880; then it decreased gradually, and from 1893 onward sharply. Of the emigrants in 1904, via German and foreign ports, 26.085 left for the USA, 355 for Brazil, 648 for other parts of America, 78 for Africa, two for Asia, 97 for Australia.