Germany's Population with Immigration Background Hits 21.8 Million in 2025

As of 2025, Germany's demographic landscape continues to evolve with the number of people having an immigration background reaching approximately 21.8 million, which accounts for about 26.3% of the total population. This marks an increase of 0.5 percentage points from the previous year, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

Of this group, 16.4 million individuals (19.8% of the population) are immigrants themselves, showing a modest rise of 28,000 since 2024, a slower growth rate compared to previous years. The immigrant population is younger on average, with an age of 38.2 years compared to 47.6 years for non-immigrants. Particularly notable is the younger cohort aged 25 to 34 years, where 36% have an immigration background, and 33% of young adult immigrants hold academic degrees.

Major countries of origin for immigrants include Poland, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, and Syria. Specifically, 1.5 million immigrants hail from Poland and Turkey, 1.3 million from Ukraine, and one million each from Russia and Syria. Additionally, there are 5.4 to 6.3 million direct descendants of immigrants (second generation), comprising around 6.5% of Germany's population. Among these, approximately 4.2 million were born in Germany to one immigrant parent and are not classified as immigrants.

The total population without an immigrant background has decreased by nearly 488,000 to 56.8 million, reflecting demographic shifts. Since 2005, the number of people with an immigration history in Germany has surged by 67%, up from 13 million to 21.8 million in 2025.

Despite comparable academic achievement among young adult immigrants, a significant proportion—36%—lack vocational qualifications and are not engaged in education or training, a figure more than twice as high as that of the general population, underscoring challenges in educational integration.

These statistics derive from the 2025 Mikrozensus, which annually surveys around 1% of the population. This data highlights the ongoing and growing influence of migration on Germany's societal and demographic structure, with implications for future policy and social planning.