According to the Federal Statistical Office, known as Destatis, there are 21.8 million people, or 26.3 percent of the total population, who either immigrated themselves or are the children of two immigrant parents, writes Deutsche Welle.
What does “immigration history” mean?
The statistics include first and second generation immigrants. The first generation includes about 16.4 million people (19.8 percent), who personally moved to Germany. Growth in that category slowed down last year, with an increase of 1.7 percent compared to 2024, after significantly larger increases in previous years.
Another 5.4 million people (6.5 percent) belong to the second generation – they were born in Germany, and both their parents immigrated to the country after 1950. The term “immigration history” used by Destatis is different from the broader term “migrant background”, which also includes people with one German parent.
An increase of 67 percent in two decades
In the last twenty years there has been a large increase in both categories. Since 2005, the number of people with an immigration history has grown from 13 million to 21.8 million in 2025. This represents an increase of 8.8 million people, or 67 percent, according to Destatis.
Among people with an immigration history, the groups originating from Poland and Turkey are the most numerous, with approximately 1.5 million each. Followed by Ukraine with approximately 1.3 million and Russia and Syria with around one million people.
The data also indicate demographic specificities. Among younger immigrants aged 25 to 34, 33 percent have a college degree, a share similar to that of the overall population.
However, 36 percent of them do not have a formal vocational education, which is more than double the national average. Age differences are also visible: 36 percent of people aged 25 to 34 have an immigration history, while for those over 65, that share is only 14 percent. On average, people with an immigration history are about nine years younger than the rest of the population.
(Vijesti.ba)
