Since 2015, at least €12.2 billion has been spent on the accommodation and care of unaccompanied minor asylum seekers in Germany, according to exclusive figures obtained by AfD Member of Parliament René Springer. The actual sum is likely significantly higher, as several federal states have provided incomplete or missing data. Between 2015 and 2024, authorities registered nearly 190,000 unaccompanied foreign minors, known as UMAs.
Data is available from 15 federal states, but Hesse could not provide precise figures, while Brandenburg, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hamburg, and Schleswig-Holstein could not provide annual data for the entire period. Bavaria—which received the majority of UMAs—and Hamburg provided no financial details. These gaps indicate that the real number of UMAs and the total costs are probably higher than reported.
Costs for these young people are generally far higher than for adult asylum seekers, including accommodation, food, clothing, medical care, schooling, language courses, and youth services support. Many minors are assigned guardians, and additional services are provided to ensure their safety and integration. In states with per capita data, the average cost of accommodating a minor asylum seeker is substantial. In Lower Saxony, it reaches nearly €100,000, while in North Rhine-Westphalia and Thuringia it exceeds €80,000.
The majority of UMAs are male teenagers from countries such as Afghanistan and Syria, with increasing numbers from Ukraine since 2022.
Since October 1st, 2015, German federal states are legally obligated to accept unaccompanied minors under a distribution system coordinated by the Federal Office of Administration. However, expenditure and admission data are often incomplete or delayed by two to three years.
AfD politician René Springer commented, “The incomplete data regarding the reception of unaccompanied minor foreigners is a scandal. With costs exceeding twelve billion euros in recent years, transparency is the very least taxpayers can expect.” He added:
When almost one in three unaccompanied minors claims to have been born on January 1st or December 31st, the suspicion of deliberate deception is unavoidable.
AfD leader Alice Weidel criticized the handling of unaccompanied minor asylum seekers in an X post: “At least €12.2 billion in nine years: Costs for ‘unaccompanied minor’ asylum seekers are exorbitant, while states governed by the CDU are unable to provide any figures at all. End the asylum chaos immediately and relieve the burden on taxpayers!”
The AfD emphasized in a statement: “The AfD stands for a decisive shift in migration policy. We demand a comprehensive repatriation initiative that ends this governmental failure in migration policy. We will reduce the economic incentives for immigrants and immediately rectify the incomplete data.” In its statement, the party said
The AfD will close Germany as an asylum haven and restore our social welfare system to its citizens. We are ready to assume governmental responsibility and bring back prosperity.
