| Office | Incumbent | Party | Parl. State Secretary
& Minister of State | Party |
|---|
| Chancellor | Helmut Schmidt
(1918–2015) | SPD | Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski
until 10 December 1979
Gunter Huonker
from 10 December 1979 | SPD |
| Vice-Chancellor | Hans-Dietrich Genscher
(1927–2016) | FDP | – | – |
| Foreign Affairs | Hans-Dietrich Genscher | FDP | Klaus von Dohnanyi
Hildegard Hamm-Brücher | SPD
FDP |
| Interior | Werner Maihofer
(1918–2009)
until 8 June 1978
Gerhart Rudolf Baum
(born 1932) | FDP | Gerhart Rudolf Baum
until 8 June 1978
Andreas von Schoeler | FDP |
| Justice | Hans-Jochen Vogel
(born 1926) | SPD | Hans de With | SPD |
| Finance | Hans Apel
(1932–2011)
until 16 February 1978
Hans Matthöfer
(1925–2009) | SPD | Karl Haehser
Rainer Offergeld
until 16 February 1978
Rolf Böhme
from 16 February 1978 | SPD |
| Economics | Hans Friderichs
(born 1931)
until 7 October 1977
Otto Graf Lambsdorff
(1926–2009) | FDP | Martin Grüner | FDP |
| Food, Agriculture and Forestry | Josef Ertl
(1925–2000) | FDP | Georg Gallus | FDP |
| Labour and Social Affairs | Herbert Ehrenberg
(1926–2018) | SPD | Hermann Buschfort | SPD |
| Defence | Georg Leber
(1920–2012)
from 16 February 1978
Hans Apel | SPD | Andreas von Bülow | SPD |
| Youth, Families and Health | Antje Huber
(1924–2015) | SPD | Fred Zander | SPD |
Transport and
Post and Telecommunications | Kurt Gscheidle
(1924–2003) | SPD | Ernst Haar
until 29 March 1979
Erhard Mahne
from 29 March 1979
Lothar Wrede | SPD |
| Planning and Housing | Karl Ravens
(1927–2017)
until 16 February 1978
Dieter Haack
(born 1934) | SPD | Dieter Haack
until 16 February 1978
Dietrich Sperling | SPD |
| Internal German Affairs | Egon Franke
(1913–1995) | SPD | Egon Höhmann
19 January 1979
Heinz Kreutzmann
from 7 February 1979 SPD | |
| Research and Technology | Hans Matthöfer
until 16 February 1978
Volker Hauff
(born 1940) | SPD | Volker Hauff
until 16 February 1978
Erwin Stahl | SPD |
| Education and Science | Helmut Rohde
(1925–2016)
until 16 February 1978
Jürgen Schmude
(born 1936) | SPD | Peter Glotz
until 16 May 1977
Björn Engholm | SPD |
| Economic Cooperation | Marie Schlei
(1919–1983)
16 February 1978
Rainer Offergeld
(born 1937) | SPD | Alwin Brück | SPD |