Germans are emigrating: Immigration is booming – what does that mean for us?

Germans are emigrating: Immigration is booming – what does that mean for us?

The migration trend in Germany shows a remarkable picture. Loud exxpress.at The emigration of Germans has increased sharply, while the immigration of foreign nationals continues to flourish. In 2024, around 511,000 foreigners moved to the country, while only 81,000 German citizens sought their fortune abroad. These developments are part of a long-term trend that has shown a negative migration balance for Germany since 2005 - more Germans are emigrating than returning.

From 2005 to 2024, more than 4.3 million Germans left the country, while only 3.3 million returned, resulting in a net migration balance of -1,030,463 people. What is particularly noticeable is that the average newcomer is between 25 and 40 years old and has a high level of education. Popular destinations for emigration are Switzerland, Austria, the USA, Spain and France.

Immigration and population trends

The immigration of foreign citizens has reached a total of 23.5 million since 2005, while the number of emigrants without a German passport is around 14.8 million. The foreign net migration balance is therefore +8.7 million. This immigration has contributed significantly to population growth in Germany, especially since the asylum crisis in 2015, where the foreign population grew by 283,000 to 12.4 million in 2022. In contrast, the German population fell by 162,000 to 71.2 million.

The current statistics show that the proportion of foreigners in Germany is now 14.8 percent. In addition, around 300,000 people acquired German citizenship in 2022, and almost 2.3 million naturalizations were registered from 2005 to 2024.

Demographic changes

Another worrying trend is the aging of the German population: the proportion of 60 to 79 year olds has increased by 416,000, so that 30.5 percent of the population is now over 60 years old. These structural changes present Germany with new challenges, both socially and economically.

In addition to the general migration movement, a BAMF report shows that a total of 1,932,509 people immigrated to Germany in 2023, while 1,269,545 people moved away. Compared to the previous year, immigration fell by 27.5 percent, while emigration increased by 5.5 percent. This results in a net migration of +662,964 people, which is a significant reduction compared to the previous year.

In 2023, 1,741,153 immigrants had foreign citizenship. The proportion of immigrants from Europe is also significant at 63.4 percent, with the most important country of origin being Ukraine with 276,047 immigrants. The decline in immigration from Ukraine, which was 1,097,882 last year, is striking.

The migration statistics, which will use the cell key method in the future, record inflows and outflows and provide a clear picture of how the population in Germany is developing. This methodology was developed by destatis.de and documented in the surveys, which are based directly on registration offices and take into account both moves within Germany and departures abroad.

With more than 1 million people leaving without a German passport and significant increases in foreign migrants, Germany must adapt to meet demographic challenges and promote the integration of all population groups into society.

The ongoing change raises questions: How will German society develop in the coming years, and what political measures are required to effectively shape this transformation process? The coming years are crucial here.