Switzerland and Austria remain the most popular destinations for German emigrants - according to official statistics. In 2024, almost 323,600 people with German citizenship lived in Switzerland, which is 2.4 percent more than a year earlier. Over the past ten years, the number of Germans in Switzerland has increased by 10.7 percent.
In second place is Austria, where over 232,700 German citizens live. The increase in one year is 3.4 percent, and in ten it is a record - by 41.2 percent. As experts note, in both cases, territorial proximity and the lack of a language barrier played a decisive role.
Spain strengthens its position
In third place among the most popular destinations for emigration of Germans is Spain. At the beginning of 2024, about 128,000 German citizens lived there.
Following are France (with 91,100 German citizens living there), the Netherlands (85,100) and Belgium (almost 41,000). About 25,000 German citizens live in Italy.
Why Germans leave
According to polls, over half of German citizens can imagine living in emigration. In response to a question from the YouGov sociological institute whether they would be ready to leave the country with complete independence in professional, personal and financial terms, 31 percent said "definitely yes", and another 27 percent - "probably". Only 15 percent said they would not leave "under any circumstances".
The reasons for the potential departure are various: migration, the economic recession, the increase in the popularity of the far-right party "Alternative for Germany", as well as the fear of a Russian attack and doubts about the readiness of the United States to remain the "shield of Europe". Paradoxically, the proportion of those inclined to leave is particularly high among supporters of the "Alternative for Germany".
The propensity to migrate is high worldwide
As studies by the job search portal Stepstone show, almost every fourth person of working age in the world is considering working abroad. This indicator is even higher among young people between 20 and 30 years old - every third is ready to leave.
Among labor migrants, English-speaking countries are particularly popular - in first place is Australia, followed by the USA and Canada. Great Britain ranks fourth, followed by the first non-English-speaking country - Germany. This is a deterioration in the Federal Republic's position - in 2018 it was in second place after the USA.
Respondents explained their desire to live in Germany with attractive job offers (74 percent), high quality of life (61 percent), security and stability (49 percent) and a favorable ratio between salary and living costs (48 percent).
Author: Marina Konstantinova