Conducted for more than 60 years, the German Mikrozensus is a survey of the whole population, with a sampling rate of 1 %. It is the largest household survey in the European Union. In accordance with the organisation of its statistical system, the German Federal Statistical Office defines its methodology, which looks like that of the French employment survey. And the data collection is carried out by the statistical offices of the Länder. From the beginning, focusing on issues of household composition, housing, activities, income and training/qualification, the themes of the questionnaire have changed over time. The diversity of the fields covered makes it possible to carry out varied and detailed analyses of the structural developments in the German society. By 2020-21, the new Mikrozensus will allow a greater rationalisation of the German household statistical survey system, for several reasons : integration of European surveys (ICT, SILC) into the questionnaire, new collection methods for the Labour Force Survey (integrated since 2005 into the Mikrozensus), and introduction of Internet collection. This will provide Germany with a high-quality framework for monitoring the country’s demographic and social situation, and flexible enough to meet new data needs.