In 2023, around 1.93 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 5.2 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.

In 2023, approximately 13.9 million foreigners lived in Germany. 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.

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;

Living conditions of foreign citizens, migration behavior, assessment of relations between Germans and foreigners. Topics: Year of arrival; reasons for moving to Eastern Germany; native country; entry country; GDR as transit country; longer stay in other countries; previous and intended length of stay in GDR; destination country on leaving GDR; residence permit; striving for German citizenship; number of children; city of stay of family; fetching family later; nationality of partner; personal residence; number of persons in room of residence home; employment; size of household; prospects for the future; life chances with introduction of the market economy; expectations of the introduction of the German Mark; job security; chances for a new job; jeopardy to foreign jobs in comparison to those of Germans; conduct with jeopardy to job; conduct of the citizens of the GDR at the time of entry; changes in this conduct compared to then; understanding for and knowledge about the culture of one's native country; maintaining cultural traditions of native country in GDR; parties and organizations as representation of interests of foreigners; participation in cultural and political events of countrymen; contact persons with conflict situations; just treatment in leisure area, in work, daily life and political life; German friends; mastery of the German language; most important characteristics of Germans; conduct of Germans regarding foreigners with conflicts; German friends for one's own children; acceptance of this friendship by German parents; leaving residence key with German neighbors during absence. Lebensbedingungen ausländischer Bürger, Wanderungsverhalten, Einschätzung der Beziehungen zwischen Deutschen und Ausländern. Themen: Einreisejahr; Gründe für die Übersiedlung; Heimatland; Einreiseland; DDR als Durchgangsland; längerer Aufenthalt in anderen Ländern; bisherige und beabsichtigte Dauer des Aufenthalts in der DDR; Zielland bei Verlassen der DDR; Aufenthaltserlaubnis; Aufenthaltsgenehmigung; Anstreben der deutschen Staatsbürgerschaft; Anzahl der Kinder; Aufenthaltsort der Familie; Nachholen der Familie; Nationalität des Partners; eigene Wohnung; Anzahl der Personen im Zimmer des Wohnheims; Berufstätigkeit; Haushaltsgröße; Zukunftsaussichten; Lebenschancen mit Einführung der Marktwirtschaft; Erwartungen an die Einführung der D-Mark; Arbeitsplatzsicherheit; Chancen für einen neuen Arbeitsplatz; Gefährdung der ausländischen Arbeitsplätze im Vergleich zu denen der Deutschen; Verhalten bei Arbeitsplatzgefährdung; Verhalten der DDR-Bürger zur Zeit der Einreise; Veränderungen dieses Verhaltens gegenüber damals; Verständnis für und Kenntnis über die Kultur des Heimatlandes; Pflege der kulturellen Traditionen des Heimatlandes in der DDR; Parteien und Organisationen als Interessenvertreter der Ausländer; Beteiligung an kulturellen und politischen Veranstaltungen der Landsleute; Kontaktpersonen bei Konfliktlagen; gerechte Behandlung im Freizeitbereich, im Arbeits-, Alltags- und politischen Leben; deutsche Freunde; Beherrschen der deutschen Sprache; wichtigste Eigenschaften der Deutschen; Verhalten der Deutschen gegenüber Ausländern bei Konflikten; deutsche Freunde für die eigenen Kinder; Akzeptanz dieser Freundschaft durch die deutschen Eltern; Überlassen des Wohnungsschlüssels bei Abwesenheit der deutschen Nachbarn.

Graph and download economic data for Migration Fear Index for Germany (DEEPUFEARINDX) from Q1 1990 to Q2 2025 about uncertainty, migration, Germany, and indexes.

Between 1960 and 1990, the foreign population of all selected Western European countries grew significantly. In West Germany, the foreign population grew from fewer than 700 thousand in 1960 to almost four million in 1976; the German total was over five million by the time of reunification in 1990. France and the United Kingdom respectively had the second and third largest foreign populations in 1976 and 1990, although figures are unavailable for 1960 (however, France's total foreign population would have been higher than Germany's in 1960, based on separate percentage and population figures). .

2019 data for European Union states can be found here.

Lebensbedingungen ausländischer Bürger, Wanderungsverhalten,Einschätzung der Beziehungen zwischen Deutschen und Ausländern. Themen: Einreisejahr; Gründe für die Übersiedlung; Heimatland;Einreiseland; DDR als Durchgangsland; längerer Aufenthalt inanderen Ländern; bisherige und beabsichtigte Dauer desAufenthalts in der DDR; Zielland bei Verlassen der DDR;Aufenthaltserlaubnis; Aufenthaltsgenehmigung; Anstreben derdeutschen Staatsbürgerschaft; Anzahl der Kinder; Aufenthaltsortder Familie; Nachholen der Familie; Nationalität des Partners;eigene Wohnung; Anzahl der Personen im Zimmer des Wohnheims;Berufstätigkeit; Haushaltsgröße; Zukunftsaussichten;Lebenschancen mit Einführung der Marktwirtschaft; Erwartungen andie Einführung der D-Mark; Arbeitsplatzsicherheit; Chancen füreinen neuen Arbeitsplatz; Gefährdung der ausländischenArbeitsplätze im Vergleich zu denen der Deutschen; Verhalten beiArbeitsplatzgefährdung; Verhalten der DDR-Bürger zur Zeit derEinreise; Veränderungen dieses Verhaltens gegenüber damals;Verständnis für und Kenntnis über die Kultur des Heimatlandes;Pflege der kulturellen Traditionen des Heimatlandes in der DDR;Parteien und Organisationen als Interessenvertreter derAusländer; Beteiligung an kulturellen und politischenVeranstaltungen der Landsleute; Kontaktpersonen beiKonfliktlagen; gerechte Behandlung im Freizeitbereich, imArbeits-, Alltags- und politischen Leben; deutsche Freunde;Beherrschen der deutschen Sprache; wichtigste Eigenschaften derDeutschen; Verhalten der Deutschen gegenüber Ausländern beiKonflikten; deutsche Freunde für die eigenen Kinder; Akzeptanzdieser Freundschaft durch die deutschen Eltern; Überlassen desWohnungsschlüssels bei Abwesenheit der deutschen Nachbarn. Living conditions of foreign citizens, migration behavior, assessment of relations between Germans and foreigners. Topics: Year of arrival; reasons for moving to Eastern Germany; native country; entry country; GDR as transit country; longer stay in other countries; previous and intended length of stay in GDR; destination country on leaving GDR; residence permit; striving for German citizenship; number of children; city of stay of family; fetching family later; nationality of partner; personal residence; number of persons in room of residence home; employment; size of household; prospects for the future; life chances with introduction of the market economy; expectations of the introduction of the German Mark; job security; chances for a new job; jeopardy to foreign jobs in comparison to those of Germans; conduct with jeopardy to job; conduct of the citizens of the GDR at the time of entry; changes in this conduct compared to then; understanding for and knowledge about the culture of one's native country; maintaining cultural traditions of native country in GDR; parties and organizations as representation of interests of foreigners; participation in cultural and political events of countrymen; contact persons with conflict situations; just treatment in leisure area, in work, daily life and political life; German friends; mastery of the German language; most important characteristics of Germans; conduct of Germans regarding foreigners with conflicts; German friends for one's own children; acceptance of this friendship by German parents; leaving residence key with German neighbors during absence.

Living conditions of foreign citizens, migration behavior, assessment of relations between Germans and foreigners. Topics: Year of arrival; reasons for moving to Eastern Germany; native country; entry country; GDR as transit country; longer stay in other countries; previous and intended length of stay in GDR; destination country on leaving GDR; residence permit; striving for German citizenship; number of children; city of stay of family; fetching family later; nationality of partner; personal residence; number of persons in room of residence home; employment; size of household; prospects for the future; life chances with introduction of the market economy; expectations of the introduction of the German Mark; job security; chances for a new job; jeopardy to foreign jobs in comparison to those of Germans; conduct with jeopardy to job; conduct of the citizens of the GDR at the time of entry; changes in this conduct compared to then; understanding for and knowledge about the culture of one's native country; maintaining cultural traditions of native country in GDR; parties and organizations as representation of interests of foreigners; participation in cultural and political events of countrymen; contact persons with conflict situations; just treatment in leisure area, in work, daily life and political life; German friends; mastery of the German language; most important characteristics of Germans; conduct of Germans regarding foreigners with conflicts; German friends for one's own children; acceptance of this friendship by German parents; leaving residence key with German neighbors during absence.

Graph and download economic data for Migration Policy Uncertainty Index for Germany (DEEPUMIGINDX) from Q1 1990 to Q2 2025 about uncertainty, migration, Germany, and indexes.

Following the Second World War, Germany was split into four territories, administered by France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. In 1949, the zones occupied by Britain, France and the US formed the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), and the USSR zone became the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The capital city of Berlin, which was located in East Germany, was also split into two parts, with West Berlin remaining in the Federal Republic of Germany and East Berlin belonging to the Soviet satellite state of the German Democratic Republic. Between 1949 and 1961, over 2.5 million people (mostly skilled laborers) emigrated from East to West Germany in search of economic opportunities and higher standard of living. Increasing restrictions In reaction to this imbalanced migration, the communist East German government increased restrictions on movement to the West, and, despite initial requests being denied by Nikita Khrushchev in 1953, the Soviet leader eventually approved the building of a physical barrier in 1961. Initially, a wire fence was used to separate the East from the West, and this was later reinforced with concrete walls, bunkers, guard towers and landmines, most notably in the case of the Berlin Wall, which became the symbol of German division during the Cold War. From the early 1960s until the late 1980s, migration from East to West Germany dropped significantly. In the 1970s, there was no year where more than 20,000 people moved from the East to West, which is a significant drop from the 1950s, where as many as 331,000 people migrated in 1953 alone. The fall of the iron curtain As the Soviet Union's power weaned in the 1980s, and their influence in Eastern Europe diminished, communism in the Eastern block and Soviet satellite states began to collapse at the end of the decade. On November 9, 1989, when an East German politician mistakenly claimed that restrictions on travel visas would be lifted with immediate effect, thousands of people in Berlin gathered at the checkpoints along the Berlin Wall demanding to be allowed through. As tensions rose, the commanding officers eventually gave in to public demands and opened the barriers, allowing the people to move freely again between both German states. In the days that followed, Germans from both sides of the barrier began to tear down and create holes in the Berlin Wall, in a symbolic act that would represent unity and the end of German division.

Germany DE: Net Migration: per 1 000 Inhabitants data was reported at 312.730 Person in 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of 334.050 Person for 2020. Germany DE: Net Migration: per 1 000 Inhabitants data is updated yearly, averaging 302.890 Person from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2021, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 482.850 Person in 1991 and a record low of 45.990 Person in 2002. Germany DE: Net Migration: per 1 000 Inhabitants data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.OECD.GGI: Social: Demography: OECD Member: Annual.

The adult residential population 18 years old and older.

A wide-ranging representative longitudinal study of private households that permits researchers to track yearly changes in the health and economic well-being of older people relative to younger people in Germany from 1984 to the present. Every year, there were nearly 11,000 households, and more than 20,000 persons sampled by the fieldwork organization TNS Infratest Sozialforschung. The data provide information on all household members, consisting of Germans living in the Old and New German States, Foreigners, and recent Immigrants to Germany. The Panel was started in 1984. Some of the many topics include household composition, occupational biographies, employment, earnings, health and satisfaction indicators. In addition to standard demographic information, the GSOEP questionnaire also contains objective measuresuse of time, use of earnings, income, benefit payments, health, etc. and subjective measures - level of satisfaction with various aspects of life, hopes and fears, political involvement, etc. of the German population. The first wave, collected in 1984 in the western states of Germany, contains 5,921 households in two randomly sampled sub-groups: 1) German Sub-Sample: people in private households where the head of household was not of Turkish, Greek, Yugoslavian, Spanish, or Italian nationality; 2) Foreign Sub-Sample: people in private households where the head of household was of Turkish, Greek, Yugoslavian, Spanish, or Italian nationality. In each year since 1984, the GSOEP has attempted to re-interview original sample members unless they leave the country. A major expansion of the GSOEP was necessitated by German reunification. In June 1990, the GSOEP fielded a first wave of the eastern states of Germany. This sub-sample includes individuals in private households where the head of household was a citizen of the German Democratic Republic. The first wave contains 2,179 households. In 1994 and 1995, the GSOEP added a sample of immigrants to the western states of Germany from 522 households who arrived after 1984, which in 2006 included 360 households and 684 respondents. In 1998 a new refreshment sample of 1,067 households was selected from the population of private households. In 2000 a sample was drawn using essentially similar selection rules as the original German sub-sample and the 1998 refreshment sample with some modifications. The 2000 sample includes 6,052 households covering 10,890 individuals. Finally, in 2002, an overrepresentation of high-income households was added with 2,671 respondents from 1,224 households, of which 1,801 individuals (689 households) were still included in the year 2006. Data Availability: The data are available to researchers in Germany and abroad in SPSS, SAS, TDA, STATA, and ASCII format for immediate use. Extensive documentation in English and German is available online. The SOEP data are available in German and English, alone or in combination with data from other international panel surveys (e.g., the Cross-National Equivalent Files which contain panel data from Canada, Germany, and the United States). The public use file of the SOEP with anonymous microdata is provided free of charge (plus shipping costs) to universities and research centers. The individual SOEP datasets cannot be downloaded from the DIW Web site due to data protection regulations. Use of the data is subject to special regulations, and data privacy laws necessitate the signing of a data transfer contract with the DIW. The English Language Public Use Version of the GSOEP is distributed and administered by the Department of Policy Analysis and Management, Cornell University. The data are available on CD-ROM from Cornell for a fee. Full instructions for accessing GSOEP data may be accessed on the project website, http://www.human.cornell.edu/che/PAM/Research/Centers-Programs/German-Panel/cnef.cfm * Dates of Study: 1984-present * Study Features: Longitudinal, International * Sample Size: ** 1984: 12,290 (GSOEP West) ** 1990: 4,453 (GSOEP East) ** 2000: 20,000+ Links: * Cornell Project Website: http://www.human.cornell.edu/che/PAM/Research/Centers-Programs/German-Panel/cnef.cfm * GSOEP ICPSR: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/studies/00131

The aim of the project was to identify and compile the best available historical time series for Germany, and to complement or update them at reasonable expense. Time series were only to be included, if data for the entire period from 1834 to 2012 was at least theoretically available. An integral aspect of the concept of our project is the combination of data with critical commentaries of the time series by established expert scientists. The following themes are covered (authors in parentheses): 1. Environment, Climate, and Nature (Paul Erker) 2. Population, Households, Families (Georg Fertig/Franz Rothenbacher) 3. Migration (Jochen Oltmer) 4. Education and Science (Volker Müller-Benedict) 5. Health Service (Reinhard Spree) 6. Social Policy (Marcel Boldorf) 7. Public Finance and Taxation (Mark Spoerer) 8. Political Participation (Marc Debus) 9. Crime and Justice (Dietrich Oberwittler) 10. Work, Income, and Standard of Living (Toni Pierenkemper) 11. Culture, Tourism, and Sports (Heike Wolter/Bernd Wedemeyer-Kolwe) 12. Religion (Thomas Großbölting/Markus Goldbeck) 13. National Accounts (Rainer Metz) 14. Prices (Rainer Metz) 15. Money and Credit (Richard Tilly) 16. Transport and Communication (Christopher Kopper) 17. Agriculture (Michael Kopsidis) 18. Business, Industry, and Craft (Alfred Reckendrees) 19. Building and Housing (Günther Schulz) 20. Trade (Markus Lampe/ Nikolaus Wolf) 21. Balance of Payments (Nikolaus Wolf) 22. International Comparisons (Herman de Jong/Joerg Baten) Basically, the structure of a dataset is guided by the tables in the print publication by the Federal Agency. The print publication allows for four to eight tables for each of the 22 chapters, which means the data record is correspondingly made up of 120 tables in total. The inner structure of the dataset is a consequence of a German idiosyncrasy: the numerous territorial changes. To account for this idiosyncrasy, we decided on a four-fold data structure. Four territorial units with their respective data, are therefore differentiated in each table in separate columns: A German Confederation/Custom Union/German Reich (1834-1945).B German Federal Republic (1949-1989).C German Democratic Republic (1949-1989).D Germany since the reunification (since 1990). Years in parentheses should be considered a guideline only. It is possible that series for the territory of the old Federal Republic or the new federal states are continued after 1990, or that all-German data from before 1990 were available or were reconstructed.All time series are identified by a distinct ID consisting of an “x” and a four-digit number (for numbers under 1000 with leading zeros). The time series that exclusively contain GDR data were identified with a “c” prefix instead of the “x”.For the four territorial units, the time series are arranged in four blocks side by side within the XLSX files. That means: first all time series for the territory and the period of the Custom Union and German Reich, the next columns contain side by side all time series for the territory of the German Federal Republic / the old federal states, then – if available – those for the territory of the German Democratic Republic / the new federal states, and finally for the reunified Germany. There is at most one row for each year. Dates can be missing if no data for the respective year are available in either of the table’s time series, but no date will appear twice. The four territorial units and the resultant time periods cause a “stepwise” appearance of the data tables.

If you find anything missing, unclear, incomprehensible, improvable, etc., please contact me (kontakt@deutschland-in-daten.de). Further reading:Rahlf, Thomas, The German Time Series Dataset 1834-2012, in: Journal of Economics and Statistics 236/1 (2016), pp. 129-143. [DOI: 10.1515/jbnst-2015-1005] Open Access: Rahlf, Thomas, Voraussetzungen für eine Historische Statistik von Deutschland (19./20. Jh.), in: Vierteljahrschrift für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte 101/3 (2014), S. 322-352. [PDF] Rahlf, Thomas (Hrsg.), Dokumentation zum Zeitreihendatensatz für Deutschland, 1834-2012, Version 01 (= Historical Social Research Transition 26v01), Köln 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.12759/hsr.trans.26.v01.2015Rahlf, Thomas (Hrsg.), Deutschland in Daten. Zeitreihen zur Historischen Statistik, Bonn: Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung, 2015. [EconStor]

Attitudes to foreigners and extreme political organizations, political opinions on the social turning point in the GDR. Topics: General contentment with life; future expectations; reasons for feeling cheated in the GDR (scale); concerns regarding political and social changes in Eastern Germany (scale); assessment of family atmosphere and relations in childhood (scale); material standard of living in parental home; information about daily life of foreigners in Germany and use of sources of and opportunities for information; feelings regarding foreigners; attitude to proportion of foreigners in Eastern Germany; political and social rights for foreigner (scale); attitude and conduct regarding foreigners (scale); concrete experiences in contact with foreigners (scale); accepted reasons for granting asylum (scale); attitude to the possibility of granting German citizenship; attitude to politically extreme mottos and slogans (scale); partnership with foreigners; feelings for members of various ethnic groups and cultures; attitude to violence against foreigners; assessment of the development of hostility to foreigners in Eastern Germany; general feelings in view of various political terms (scale); personal political position; solidarity with political currents; classification on a left-right scale; religiousness; assessment of personal achievement standard; full-time or part-time employment. Einstellungen zu Ausländern und zu extremen politischen Organisationen, politische Meinungen zur gesellschaftlichen Wende in der DDR. Themen: Allgemeine Lebenszufriedenheit; Zukunftserwartungen; Gründe für Gefühl des Betrogenseins in der DDR (Skala); Beunruhigungen hinsichtlich politischer und gesellschaftlicher Veränderungen in Ostdeutschland (Skala); Einschätzung der familiären Atmosphäre und Beziehungen in der Kindheit (Skala); materieller Lebensstandard im Elternhaus; Informationen über den Alltag von Ausländern in Deutschland und Nutzung von Informationsquellen und -möglichkeiten; Empfindungen Ausländern gegenüber; Haltung zum Ausländeranteil in Ostdeutschland; politische und soziale Rechte für Ausländer (Skala); Einstellung und Verhalten gegenüber Ausländern (Skala); konkrete Erfahrungen im Umgang mit Ausländern (Skala); akzeptierte Gründe für Gewährung von Asyl (Skala); Haltung zur Möglichkeit der Übertragung der deutschen Staatsbürgerschaft; Haltung zu politisch extremen Losungen und Parolen (Skala); Partnerschaft mit Ausländern; Empfindungen für Angehörige verschiedener Volksgruppen und Kulturen; Einstellung zu Gewalt gegen Ausländer; Einschätzung der Entwicklung von Ausländerfeindlichkeit in Ostdeutschland; allgemeine Empfindungen angesichts verschiedener politischer Begriffe (Skala); eigener politischer Standpunkt; Verbundenheit mit politischen Strömungen; Einordnung in Links-Rechts-Schema; Religiosität; Einschätzung des eigenen Leistungsstands; Voll- oder Teilzeitbeschäftigung.

Between 1960 and 1990, the foreign population of all selected Western European countries grew significantly. In these years, the share of foreign populations in Switzerland and France grew by 77 and 36 percent respectively, while the share foreign populations in Germany and Denmark were six to eight times larger by 1990. Between 1976 and 1990, the share of foreign populations also grew in most of these countries, albeit at a much lower rate; however the share of the foreign population in France actually decreased in this time, as the French government introduced a number of assimilation policies in the 1970s which granted citizenship to a large share of immigrants (the share also decreased in Switzerland, however this was due to differing calculation methods**).

2019 data for European Union states can be found here.

This dataset contains information (in form of text) on residence status policies, labour market policies, welfare policies, language and employment facilitation policies targeting humanitarian migrants (refugees, asylum seekers, individuals with alternative protection statuses).It covers the period from 1990 till 2008. It covers Germany, Austria, Sweden, Netherlands, Norway, Greece and the United Kingdom.

Attitudes to the pace and path of German-German unification, abortion and the law allowing abortion in the first trimester, opinions on the relationship with Eastern European countries. Topics: Preferred paths to national unity; reasons for approval or rejection of German-German unification; opinion on the constitution discussion; opinion on the law allowing abortion in the first trimester; reasons for or against the current law allowing abortion in the first trimester; participation in the costs of abortion; reasons for abortion; reaction to threat of punishment in case of abortion; pace of German-German unification; national identity; relationship Germany-Poland as well as acceptance of the Oder-Neisse border; opinion on Soviet troops in the GDR; the future of the military blocks; disarmament and the future of the NVA; judgement on the development in the USSR and its influence on the German-German unification process; acceptance of immigrants from Eastern European countries; religiousness; behavior at the polls (election for the East German Parliament 1990). Einstellungen zu Tempo und Weg der deutsch-deutschen Vereinigung, zu Schwangerschaftsabbruch und Fristenregelung, Meinungen zum Verhältnis zu osteuropäischen Staaten. Themen: Präferierte Wege zur staatlichen Einheit; Gründe für die Befürwortung bzw. Ablehnung der deutsch-deutschen Vereinigung; Meinung zur Verfassungsdiskussion; Meinung zur Fristenregelung; Gründe für bzw. gegen die bestehende Fristenregelung; Kostenbeteiligung bei Schwangerschaftsabbruch; Gründe für Schwangerschaftsabbruch; Reaktion auf Strafandrohung im Falle eines Schwangerschaftsabbruchs; Tempo der deutsch-deutschen Vereinigung; nationale Identität; Verhältnis Deutschland - Polen sowie Akzeptanz der Oder-Neiße-Grenze; Meinung zu sowjetischen Truppen in der DDR; Zukunft der Militärblöcke; Abrüstung und Zukunft der NVA; Beurteilung der Entwicklung in der UdSSR und ihres Einflusses auf den deutsch-deutschen Vereinigungsprozeß; Akzeptanz von Immigranten aus osteuropäischen Ländern; Religiosität; Wahlverhalten (Volkskammerwahl 1990).

In 1800, the region of Germany was not a single, unified nation, but a collection of decentralized, independent states, bound together as part of the Holy Roman Empire. This empire was dissolved, however, in 1806, during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras in Europe, and the German Confederation was established in 1815. Napoleonic reforms led to the abolition of serfdom, extension of voting rights to property-owners, and an overall increase in living standards. The population grew throughout the remainder of the century, as improvements in sanitation and medicine (namely, mandatory vaccination policies) saw child mortality rates fall in later decades. As Germany industrialized and the economy grew, so too did the argument for nationhood; calls for pan-Germanism (the unification of all German-speaking lands) grew more popular among the lower classes in the mid-1800s, especially following the revolutions of 1948-49. In contrast, industrialization and poor harvests also saw high unemployment in rural regions, which led to waves of mass migration, particularly to the U.S.. In 1886, the Austro-Prussian War united northern Germany under a new Confederation, while the remaining German states (excluding Austria and Switzerland) joined following the Franco-Prussian War in 1871; this established the German Empire, under the Prussian leadership of Emperor Wilhelm I and Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. 1871 to 1945 - Unification to the Second World War The first decades of unification saw Germany rise to become one of Europe's strongest and most advanced nations, and challenge other world powers on an international scale, establishing colonies in Africa and the Pacific. These endeavors were cut short, however, when the Austro-Hungarian heir apparent was assassinated in Sarajevo; Germany promised a "blank check" of support for Austria's retaliation, who subsequently declared war on Serbia and set the First World War in motion. Viewed as the strongest of the Central Powers, Germany mobilized over 11 million men throughout the war, and its army fought in all theaters. As the war progressed, both the military and civilian populations grew increasingly weakened due to malnutrition, as Germany's resources became stretched. By the war's end in 1918, Germany suffered over 2 million civilian and military deaths due to conflict, and several hundred thousand more during the accompanying influenza pandemic. Mass displacement and the restructuring of Europe's borders through the Treaty of Versailles saw the population drop by several million more.

Reparations and economic mismanagement also financially crippled Germany and led to bitter indignation among many Germans in the interwar period; something that was exploited by Adolf Hitler on his rise to power. Reckless printing of money caused hyperinflation in 1923, when the currency became so worthless that basic items were priced at trillions of Marks; the introduction of the Rentenmark then stabilized the economy before the Great Depression of 1929 sent it back into dramatic decline. When Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, the Nazi government disregarded the Treaty of Versailles' restrictions and Germany rose once more to become an emerging superpower. Hitler's desire for territorial expansion into eastern Europe and the creation of an ethnically-homogenous German empire then led to the invasion of Poland in 1939, which is considered the beginning of the Second World War in Europe. Again, almost every aspect of German life contributed to the war effort, and more than 13 million men were mobilized. After six years of war, and over seven million German deaths, the Axis powers were defeated and Germany was divided into four zones administered by France, the Soviet Union, the UK, and the U.S.. Mass displacement, shifting borders, and the relocation of peoples based on ethnicity also greatly affected the population during this time. 1945 to 2020 - Partition and Reunification In the late 1940s, cold war tensions led to two distinct states emerging in Germany; the Soviet-controlled east became the communist German Democratic Republic (DDR), and the three western zones merged to form the democratic Federal Republic of Germany. Additionally, Berlin was split in a similar fashion, although its location deep inside DDR territory created series of problems and opportunities for the those on either side. Life quickly changed depending on which side of the border one lived. Within a decade, rapid economic recovery saw West Germany become western Europe's strongest economy and a key international player. In the east, living standards were much lower, although unemployment was almost non-existent; internationally, East Germany was the strongest economy in the Eastern Bloc (after the USSR), though it eventually fell behind the West by the 1970s. The restriction of movement between the two states also led to labor shortages in t...

In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, Germany was split into four zones, each administered by France, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union respectively. In 1949, the Soviet-controlled zone formed the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), while the rest became the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). In this time, Berlin was also split into four zones, and the three non-Soviet zones formed West Berlin, which was a part of West Germany (although the West's administrative capital was moved to Bonn). One population grows, while the other declines Between 1949 and 1961, an estimated 2.7 million people migrated from East to West Germany. East Germany had a communist government with a socialist economy and was a satellite state of the Soviet Union, whereas West Germany was a liberal democracy with a capitalist economy, and western autonomy increased over time. Because of this difference, West Germany was a much freer society with more economic opportunities. During the German partition, the population of the west grew, from 51 million in 1950 to 62.7 million in 1989, whereas the population of East Germany declined from 18.4 million to just 16.4 million during this time. Little change after reunification In 1989, after four decades of separation, the process of German reunification began. The legal and physical barriers that had split the country were removed, and Germans could freely travel within the entire country. Despite this development, population growth patterns did not change. The population of the 'new states' (East Germany) continued to decline, whereas the population of the west grew, particularly in the 1990s, the first decade after reunification. The reasons for this continued imbalance between German population in the east and west, is mostly due to a low birth rate and internal migration within Germany. Despite the fact that levels of income and unemployment in the new states have gotten closer to those reported for the west (a major obstacle after reunification), life and opportunities in the west continue to attract young Germans from rural areas in the east with detrimental effect on the economy and demography of the new states.