Ukrainian refugees to Germany decrease in 2023 compared to the previous year. There are also fewer arrivals from Bulgaria and Romania. However, 56% more Turks arrived in Germany.
Last year, around 663,000 more people arrived in Germany than left. This migration surplus has therefore more than halved compared to the record year 2022, according to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden. The main reason for this is the decreasing flow of Ukrainian refugees. Compared to the previous year, 75% fewer people from Ukraine arrived in Germany. While almost 1.1 million Ukrainians arrived in 2022, in 2023 this number dropped to 276,000.
Net immigration halved compared to 2022
2022 saw the highest migration surplus since 1950, with total immigrants outnumbering emigrants by about 1,462,000. In a longer-term comparison, however, the surplus — also known as net immigration — remains high in 2023, the Fed explains.
According to statistics, in 2023 compared to the previous year, migrants from Romania (by 7%) and Bulgaria (by 14%) also decreased. On the other hand, significantly more people arrived from Turkey (by 56% more) than in the previous year. Overall, Europeans made the biggest contribution to net immigration - a total of 330,000 people, followed by people from Asia (287,000) and Africa (61,000). Among Asian countries, the number of immigrants from Syria has increased, while for Afghanistan, statistics report a decrease of 12 percent.
Switzerland, Austria and the USA are the main destinations for Germans
A net outflow of Germans has been registered since 2005. In 2023, however, the emigration of 74,000 German citizens to other countries was less than a year earlier, when 83,000 Germans left the country. As in previous years, the main destination countries are Switzerland, Austria and the USA. In 2023, 21,000 German departures were registered for Switzerland, 13,000 for Austria and 9,000 for the USA, the report also says.
Most immigrants head to the federal state of Brandenburg, the report also notes. 14 thousand more people arrived there than left. Schleswig-Holstein followed with an increase of 9,000 people and Bavaria with 6,000.