The latest data from the German federal government’s migration report shows nearly 2 million people immigrated to Germany in 2023, which is the second-highest level since 2016.
The authorities recorded 1.933 million migrants entering the country, bringing the German population level to a record high. Only in 2022 did more immigrants enter the country.
A major factor behind the surge in number for both years is the war in Ukraine. During 2023, approximately 1.27 million people emigrated from Germany to other countries. That means net migration was 662,964 people, also the second-highest value since 2016, according to BZ.
Approximately half of these new arrivals come from the European Union. When all European countries are added, in addition to Turkey, this number reaches 63.4 percent.
This Syrian migrant famously took a selfie with Merkel back in 2016.
Now, he says he has no plans to return to Syria.
The same applies for hundreds of thousands of Syrians. Even if conditions improve in Syria, many receive benefits in Germany they'll never willingly give up. pic.twitter.com/wkXGhacFDV
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) December 13, 2024Although migration from Ukraine fell sharply in 2023, it still accounted for the largest proportion of newcomers, totaling 14.3 percent compared to 41.2 percent the previous year. Migrants coming from Turkey increased to 6.5 percent, while 5.5 percent came from Poland and 9.8 percent from Romania.
Regarding non-EU migration, Syria saw the highest numbers, amounting to 5.3 percent, while Asian countries account for 19.5 percent of migrants.
PM Viktor Orbán: 🇭🇺🇩🇪 "Now, Germany is no longer Germany. It’s a colorful, changed multicultural world, where migrants coming in are no longer guests in this country… They are not here as guests of the native Germans, but in their own right. It is now their country, too." pic.twitter.com/yjjArFvYNA
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) June 25, 2024Approximately 70.5 percent of the people emigrating chose to move to European countries, including 13.6 percent to Romania, 12.2 percent to Ukraine, and 7.2 percent to Poland.
Germans remain split on the issue of immigration, but notably, polls over the last few years have shown a negative shift, with often a majority of Germans now opposed to more immigrants. In the case of non-EU countries Muslim countries, the sentiment is overwhelmingly negative, which has been exacerbated by exploding crime and a spate of terror attacks. One poll from Insa found that 71.1 percent of respondents believe immigrants from countries with a strong Islamic influence pose a “security risk for Germany.” On the contrary, only 9.1 percent answered in the negative. Another 19.8 percent gave no answer.
Germany’s population has hit a record high, leading to elevated housing prices, increased traffic, and severe problems in the healthcare system. Notably, the massively shifting demographics among school-age children has had an increasingly catastrophic effect on education, especially in schools featuring the most non-European children.
