Germany’s migrant population has hit a record high, with over a quarter of the country now having a foreign background, official data has revealed.
According to newly released figures from the German statistics office, the number of people with a migrant background in Germany rose to around 21.2 million in 2024—more than 25% of the total population. That marks an increase of 4% (873,000 people) compared to the previous year.
A person is considered to have a migrant background if they or at least one of their parents immigrated to Germany.
The number of actual migrants—people who immigrated to Germany—has reached an astounding 16.1 million, 19.4% of the population, an increase of 4% compared to 2023.
Since 2015, the beginning of the European migration crisis, almost 6.5 million people have immigrated to Germany. Between 2015 and 2021, the highest number of migrants came from Syria (700,000), and between 2022 and 2024, from Ukraine (843,000).
The most common reasons for settling in Germany have been to seek asylum (31%), employment opportunities (23%), and family reunification (21%).
The high number of young migrants is particularly striking: in the 20 to 39-year-old age group, more than one in three people had a migration background in 2024.
This data confirms how Germany has failed to stem the tide of migration despite promises by both the current and previous governments to do so.
Staying true to his course on migration, Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently said “Germany is a country of immigration. It was, it is, and it will stay that way.”
