The largest number of immigrants in Germany were from Ukraine, as of 2024. The top three origin countries were rounded up by Romania and Turkey. Immigrants are defined as having left a country, which may be their home country, to permanently reside in another. Upon arriving, immigrants do not hold the citizenship of the country they move to. Immigration in the EU All three aforementioned countries are members of the European Union, which means their citizens have freedom of movement between EU member states. In practice, this means that citizens of any EU member country may relocate between them to live and work there. Unrestricted by visas or residence permits, the search for university courses, jobs, retirement options, and places to live seems to be defined by an enormous amount of choice. However, even in this freedom of movement scheme, immigration may be hampered by bureaucratic hurdles or financial challenges. Prosperity with a question mark While Germany continues to be an attractive destination for foreigners both in and outside the European Union, as well as asylum applicants, it remains to be seen how current events might influence these patterns, whether the number of immigrants arriving from certain countries will shift. Europe’s largest economy is suffering. Climbing inflation levels in the last few months, as well as remaining difficulties from the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are affecting global economic development. Ultimately, future immigrants may face the fact of moving from one struggling economy to another.

In 2024, the population share with a migrant background in the wider sense was around 30.4 percent. According to the source, a person is considered to have a migrant background when they or at least one parent do not have German citizenship by birth. This definition includes the following:1. Immigrated and non-immigrated foreigners.2. Immigrated and non-immigrated naturalized citizens.3. Late emigrants.4. Descendants born with German citizenship within the three groups named above.

In 2024, around 1.69 million people immigrated to Germany. Numbers fluctuated during the time period covered in the graph at hand, peaking in 2015 during the high point of Europe’s refugee crisis. Significantly lower figures in 2020 may be attributed to the first year of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and subsequent restrictions implemented by the German government on entering the country, in order to control the spread of the disease. Immigration to Germany “Immigrant” is a term used from the point of view of the receiving country, or the country being migrated to by a person. While reasons for and circumstances leading to an immigrant entering a foreign country may vary, they often include love, include seeking residence, employment, family reunions, or applying for asylum. Various countries are represented among foreigners living in Germany, though currently the leading three by numbers are Turkey, Ukraine, and Syria. Around 5.36 million immigrants living in Germany do not need a residence permit due to having EU citizenship, and therefore being allowed freedom of movement based on EU law. Another 2.64 million immigrants were granted an unlimited permit to stay in Germany. The near future Germany remains a popular choice for immigrants, even in currently challenging economic and political times. Welfare benefits, healthcare, and various support initiatives for those moving to or arriving in the country are on the list of selling points, though in practice, difficulties may be encountered depending on individual situations and laws in different German federal states. While the unemployment rate among foreigners living in Germany had gone up in 2020, it dropped again in the following years, but increased once more in 2023 and 2024 to over 16 percent. The country is Europe’s largest economy, housing many global players in various industries, which continues to attract jobseekers, despite these very industries facing struggles of their own brought on both by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and geopolitical events in Europe.

Germany DE: International Migrant Stock: % of Population data was reported at 14.879 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 14.429 % for 2010. Germany DE: International Migrant Stock: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 11.828 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2015, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.879 % in 2015 and a record low of 7.518 % in 1990. Germany DE: International Migrant Stock: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. International migrant stock is the number of people born in a country other than that in which they live. It also includes refugees. The data used to estimate the international migrant stock at a particular time are obtained mainly from population censuses. The estimates are derived from the data on foreign-born population--people who have residence in one country but were born in another country. When data on the foreign-born population are not available, data on foreign population--that is, people who are citizens of a country other than the country in which they reside--are used as estimates. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 people living in one of the newly independent countries who were born in another were classified as international migrants. Estimates of migrant stock in the newly independent states from 1990 on are based on the 1989 census of the Soviet Union. For countries with information on the international migrant stock for at least two points in time, interpolation or extrapolation was used to estimate the international migrant stock on July 1 of the reference years. For countries with only one observation, estimates for the reference years were derived using rates of change in the migrant stock in the years preceding or following the single observation available. A model was used to estimate migrants for countries that had no data.;United Nations Population Division, Trends in Total Migrant Stock: 2008 Revision.;Weighted average;

Germany - Foreign-born population was 17153545.00 in December of 2025, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Germany - Foreign-born population - last updated from the EUROSTAT on March of 2026. Historically, Germany - Foreign-born population reached a record high of 17153545.00 in December of 2025 and a record low of 8935603.00 in December of 2011.

Germany DE: Net Migration data was reported at -334,072.000 Person in 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 36,954.000 Person for 2024. Germany DE: Net Migration data is updated yearly, averaging 811,606.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2025, with 66 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,175,283.000 Person in 2015 and a record low of -754,469.000 Person in 1998. Germany DE: Net Migration data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Net migration is the net total of migrants during the period, that is, the number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants, including both citizens and noncitizens.;World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division;Sum;

In 2023, around 20 percent of the population with a migrant background had a secondary or elementary school education. 38.5 percent had some type of university degree.

In 2023, roughly ** percent of the population with a migrant background were doing an apprenticeship or vocational training.

Sources: Scientific Publications; official Statistics:

Max Broesike (1904), Rückblick auf die Entwicklung der preußischen Bevölkerung von 1875 bis 1900, Preußische Statistik 188, S. 12-14.

Elsner/Lehmann (1988): Ausländische Arbeiter unter dem deutschen Imperialismus, 1900 bis 1985. Berlin: Dietz Verlag.

Hubert, Michel (1998): Deutschland im Wandel. Geschichte der deutschen Bevölkerung seit 1815. Stuttgart: Steiner.

Köbler, Gerhard (2007): Historisches Lexikon der deutschen Länder. Die deutschen Territorien vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart. München: Beck.

Königlich Preußisches Statistisches Landesamt: Statistisches Jahrbuch für den Preußischen Staat, 13. Jahrgang, Berlin 1916 und 16. Jahrgang, Berlin 1920.

Königlich Statistisches Bureau in Berlin: Preußische Statistik (Amtliches Quellenwerk), Heft 139. Die Sterblichkeit nach Todesursachen und Altersklassen der Gestorbenen sowie die Selbstmorde und die tödlichen Verunglückungen im preußischen Staate während des Jahres 1894. Berlin, 1896.

Königlich Statistisches Bureau in Berlin: Preußische Statistik, Heft 188: Rückblick auf die Entwicklung der preußischen Bevölkerung von 1875 bis 1900. Berlin, 1904, S. 105.

Oltmer, Jochen (2005): Migration und Politik in der Weimarer Republik. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck&Ruprecht.

Preußisches Statistisches Landesamt: Statistisches Jahrbuch für den Freistaat Preußen, Statistisches Jahrbuch für den Freistaat Preußen, 17. Band, 1921 und 29. Band, 1933.

Stat. Bundesamt (Hrsg.): Bevölkerung und Erwerbstätigkeit. Fachserie 1, Reihe 2. Ausländische Bevölkerung. Ausgabe 2013, S. 26, Tabelle 1.

Stat. Reichsamt (Hrsg.): Statistisches Jahrbuch für das Deutsche Reich, verschiedene Jahrgänge: Jg. 1880 bis Jg. 1941/42.

Stat. Reichsamt (Hrsg.): Statistik des Deutschen Reichs: Band 360, Band 393, Band 441.

Trevisiol, O.: Die Einbürgerungspraxis im Deutschen Reich 1871-1945. Diss. 2004. Tab. 1, S. 20 und Tab. 4, S. 24. KOPS – Das institutionelle Repositorium der Universität Konstanz, Suche im Bestand ‘Geschichte und Soziologie‘, WEB: http://d-nb.info/974206237/34

Further literature

Bade, Klaus J. (2002): Europa in Bewegung. Migration vom späten 18. Jahrhundert bis zur Gegenwart. München: Beck.

Gosewinkel, Dieter (2001): Einbürgern und Ausschließen. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.

Oltmer, Jochen (2012): Globale Migration. Geschichte und Gegenwart. München: Beck.

Oltmer, Jochen (2013): Migration im 19. Und 20. Jahrhundert. München: Oldenbourg.

wikipedia.org

Graph and download economic data for Net migration for Germany (SMPOPNETMDEU) from 1962 to 2017 about migration, Germany, Net, 5-year, and population.

This statistic shows the number of foreigners in Germany according to the Central Register of Foreign Nationals from 1990 to 2024. In 2024, the share of foreigners in Germany was close to 15 percent. According to the source, foreigners are those who are not German based on Article 116, Paragraph 1 of the German constitution. These include stateless persons and those with unclear citizenship, as well as the population group with a migration background. Individuals with a migration background can either have immigrated into Germany or been born in the country to at least one parent who was born a foreigner.

FSO Projection: Population: Lower Immigration Based Trend data was reported at 67,563.000 Person th in 2060. This records a decrease from the previous number of 67,979.000 Person th for 2059. FSO Projection: Population: Lower Immigration Based Trend data is updated yearly, averaging 77,026.000 Person th from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2060, with 47 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 81,573.000 Person th in 2018 and a record low of 67,563.000 Person th in 2060. FSO Projection: Population: Lower Immigration Based Trend data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal Statistics Office Germany. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.G002: Population: Projection: Federal Statistics Office Germany.

This paper compares the partnership arrangements of Turkish and Ethnic German immigrants (i.e., return migrants from Ethnic German communities from predominantly Eastern European countries), the two largest migrant groups in Germany, and native Germans. Most existing analyses of migrants' partnerships focus on intermarriage, marriage formation, or union dissolution. We know only a little, however, about the prevalence of non-marital living arrangements. Given that single person households and cohabitation are widespread phenomena mainly in post-materialist societies, analyzing whether immigrants engage in these behaviors sheds light on potential adaptation processes. The analyses are based on the German Microcensus of the years 2009 and 2013, with a focus on adults in the 18–40 age group. First, we present descriptive findings on the prevalence of partnership arrangements of immigrants and native Germans. Second, we estimate cross-sectional regressions with the partnership arrangement as the outcome variable in order to control for compositional differences between immigrant groups with respect to education. Our results show that while the vast majority of first-generation immigrants are married, the share of married natives is considerably smaller. Living in an independent household without a partner and cohabitation are rare phenomena among immigrants. By contrast, about one in seven natives is cohabiting and more than one quarter is living in an independent household without a partner. The most prevalent partnership living arrangement of the Turkish second generation is living in the parental household without a partner. These results are robust after controlling for education, age, and year in the multiple regression analysis.

FSO Projection: Population: High Life Expectancy & Immigration Trend data was reported at 74,753.000 Person th in 2060. This records a decrease from the previous number of 75,011.000 Person th for 2059. FSO Projection: Population: High Life Expectancy & Immigration Trend data is updated yearly, averaging 80,273.000 Person th from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2060, with 47 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 82,039.000 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 74,753.000 Person th in 2060. FSO Projection: Population: High Life Expectancy & Immigration Trend data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal Statistics Office Germany. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.G003: Population: Projection: Federal Statistics Office Germany.

In 2024, there were around 12.4 million employed people with a migration background living in Germany. According to the source, a person is considered as having a migration background when they or at least one parent do not have German citizenship by birth. This definition includes the following:1. Immigrated and non-immigrated foreigners.2. Immigrated and non-immigrated naturalized citizens.3. Late emigrants.4. Descendants born with German citizenship within the three groups named above.

IntroductionSince the 2015/16 refugee influx to Germany and other European countries, these host societies have been challenged with the integration of culturally distant refugees. These recent arrivals can strategically invest their time in activities promoting their integration, thereby rendering time use as a channel of integration. Refugees are a vulnerable group that differs from other immigrants with respect to their migration motivation, experience, and conditions in the receiving countries. Accordingly, refugees might also differ from other immigrants with respect to their time use. This might play a role in explaining differences in refugees' and other immigrants' integration outcomes.MethodsUsing a cluster analysis approach, this contribution (1) descriptively examines whether and to what extent refugees' time use differs from that of other immigrants and the host-country population in Germany and (2) examines the role of refugees' legal status for their time use. The study examines time allocation to different activities of refugees, other first-generation immigrants, and native Germans, using data collected from 2016 to 2019 of the German Socio-Economic Panel, including the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees and the IAB-SOEP Migration Sample.Results and discussionResults from (1) the cluster analysis approach show different clusters of time use patterns for the three population groups of refugees, other immigrants, and natives. For native Germans and other immigrants, the dominant time use cluster is characterized by full-time investment in employment activities. For refugees, the dominant time use pattern is characterized by low overall invested hours to the measured activities (low activity cluster). In contrast to the other two groups, a cluster of refugees predominantly allocating their time to employment activities is not found. Pooled analyses (2) of the role of refugees' legal status show some evidence that those who have a form of protection status, in comparison to those who have asylum seeker status, have a lower probability to display childcare- and household-related activities than to report low activity. However, fixed effects analyses show that refugees receiving a positive decision on their asylum application do not change with respect to their time use patterns.

The main objective of the ENTRA (Recent Immigration Processes and Early Integration Trajectories in Germany) Survey was to collect data on new immigrants in Germany that capture immigration and settlement dynamics as well as integration trajectories. The study consists of a two-wave panel survey of four different immigrant groups: Italians, Poles, Syrians, and Turks. In the first wave, new immigrants were interviewed in the first years of their stay in Germany. About a year and a half later, they were interviewed a second time to track their early integration progress. During the survey period from 10.05.2019 to 31.10.2019 (Wave 1) und 20.11.2020 to 21.04.2021 (Wave 2), immigrants from Italy, Poland, Syria, and Turkey between the ages of 18 and 40 were surveyed in online interviews (CAWI), telephone interviews (CATI), and in-person interviews (CAPI) about various aspects of immigrant integration, including language skills and use, ethnic and national identities, ethnic boundaries, political participation, religious affiliation and practices, social contacts and networks, educational attainment, labor market participation, and health. Respondents were selected through a two-stage sampling procedure. In the first step, the five cities with the largest immigration flows were selected for each group based on data from migration statistics and the Central Register of Foreigners (AZR). In the second step, again separately for each immigrant group, a random sample of target individuals was drawn from the cities´ population registers. The panel study was designed as a multimodal survey conducted in the national language of each immigrant group. A total of 4,448 immigrants and refugees participated in the first wave of the survey, and longitudinal data from both panel waves are available for 3,366 cases. The additional COVID-19 survey was conducted in May/June 2020. Only a small sample of questions from the main survey was included in the questionnaire, while several questions about the COVID-19 situation were added. Unlike the first and second waves, the COVID-19 survey was conducted as an online survey only.

This statistic shows the number of foreigners in Germany according to the Central Register of Foreign Nationals in 2023, by state. In 2023, North-Rhine-Westphalia had the most foreign nationals at over 3.2 million, followed by Bavaria with almost 2.4 million and Baden-Württemberg with around 2.2 million. Foreigners are those who are not German based on Article 116, Paragraph 1 of the German constitution. These include stateless persons and those with unclear citizenship as well as the population group with a migration background. Individuals with a migration background can either have immigrated into Germany or been born in the country to at least one parent who was born a foreigner.

In 2024, almost 2.1 million people with a migration background aged 30 to 34 were living in Germany. According to the source, a person is considered as having a migration background when they or at least one parent do not have German citizenship by birth. This definition includes the following:1. Immigrated and non-immigrated foreigners.2. Immigrated and non-immigrated naturalized citizens.3. Late emigrants.4. Descendants born with German citizenship within the three groups named above.

Germany is a country known for immigration. In 2015, 21% of the general population in Germany consisted of individuals with a migration background. This article focuses on cancer-specific incidence and mortality among one of the biggest migrant groups in Germany: the resettlers. Resettlers are ethnic Germans who mainly immigrated from the Russian federation and other countries of the former Soviet Union after its collapse in 1989. We investigated differences between resettlers and the general German population, regarding (i) incidence and mortality of malignant neoplasms, (ii) time trends of the corresponding incidence and mortality, and (iii) cancer stage at diagnosis. We provide data from two resettler cohorts covering an observation time of 20 years: one cohort on cancer incidence (N = 32,972), and another cohort on mortality (N = 59,390). Cancer-specific standardized incidence ratios (SIR) and standardized mortality ratios (SMR) for all malignant neoplasms combined and the most common cancer-sites were calculated between resettlers and the general German population. Time trend analyses using Poisson regression were performed to investigate the developments of SIRs and SMRs. To investigate differences in stage at diagnosis, logistic regression was performed, calculating Odds Ratios for condensed cancer stages. We observed higher incidence and mortality of stomach cancer [SIR (men) 1.62, 95%CI 1.17–2.19; SMR (men) 1.62, 95%CI 1.31–2.01; SIR (women) 1.32, 95%CI 0.86–1.94; SMR (women) 1.52, 95%CI 1.19–1.93] and higher mortality of lung cancer [SMR (men) 1.34, 95%CI 1.20–1.50] among resettlers compared to the general German population, but lower incidence and mortality of colorectal (both sexes), lung (women), prostate and female breast cancer. However, time trend analyses showed converging incidence risks of cause-specific incidence over time, whereas differences of mortality did not show changes over time. Results from logistic regression suggest that resettler men were more often diagnosed with advanced cancer stages compared to the Münster population. Our findings suggest that risk factor patterns of the most common cancer-sites among resettlers are similar to those observed within the Russian population. Such increases in prostate, colorectal and breast cancer incidence may be the consequence of improved detection measures, and/or the adaptation of resettlers to the German lifestyle.