E.g., 04/30/2024
E.g., 04/30/2024
Country Resource - Germany

Germany

DE
  • Population..............................................................................84,220,184 (2023 est.)
  • Population growth rate ................................................................-0.12% (2023 est.)
  • Birth rate.....................................................9.02 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
  • Death rate................................................11.97 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
  • Net migration rate................................1.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
  • Ethnic groups*.........................German 86.3%, Turkish 1.8%, Polish 1%, Syrian 1%, Romanian 1%, other/stateless/unspecified 8.9% (2020 est.)

* Data represent population by nationality

CIA World Factbook

BerlinSeesSyria ekvidi Flickr

Although long one of the world's top migrant destinations, only in the recent past has Germany come to acknowledge and adjust to its role as a country of immigration. Its welcoming approach—a relatively new development—has been put to the test amid massive humanitarian inflows beginning in 2015. This country profile examines Germany's history on immigration and highlights current and emerging debates.

Recent Activity

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The concepts of 'foreign born' and 'foreigner' initially appear identical. However, in an international context, they are used to categorize people in fundamentally different ways. Elizabeth Grieco, MPI Data Manager, explains how these concepts can reflect alternative views of citizenship and discusses what this means for data comparability.

The Green Party has been blocked from pushing through new anti-discrimination legislation, mainly by religious groups.

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Reports
November 2014
This report is the final one in an MPI-International Labour Office series that examines the employment prospects of migrants in the EU (focusing on the case-study countries of the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), as well as the effectiveness of integration and workforce development policies in helping these workers overcome barriers and ascend out of low-skilled work.
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Reports
October 2014
Against the backdrop of an aging population and shrinking labor force, German policymakers have been giving greater priority to policies that ensure that immigrants are able to make their way into middle-skilled work. This report assesses recent policy developments designed to facilitate the labor market advancement of new arrivals in Germany.
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Reports
August 2014

In contrast to other European countries, the idea of "mainstreaming" immigrant integration policy has not caught on among policymakers in Germany. This report explores the history and recent trends of integration policy in Germany as well as obstacles facing policymakers moving forward.

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Reports
July 2014
The global economic crisis and changing migration patterns in Europe bring up questions about how well immigrants are able to find employment and progress into better jobs over time. This overview report caps a series of six country case studies evaluating the employment outcomes for foreign-born workers during their first decade in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
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Reports
June 2014
This report analyzes the labor market integration of newcomers to Germany, who tend to have different national origins and higher levels of education than earlier waves of migrants. These new immigrants have had varying levels of success in finding employment and transitioning into higher-skilled jobs.
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Reports
March 2014
A quiet policy transformation is taking place in Europe, as policymakers increasingly turn to a strategy of "mainstreaming" immigrant integration—seeking to reach people with a migration background through needs-based social programming and policies that also target the general population. This report assesses mainstreaming efforts across government in Denmark, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
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Reports
November 2013
This report evaluates the participation of immigrants in the German workforce development system, highlighting that immigrants are less likely than nonimmigrants to engage in further education or skills training, detailing the various barriers immigrants face in accessing programs for skills development, and proposing policy reforms to reduce these barriers.
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Reports
March 2013

Finding some of the deepest anti-Muslim sentiments in Europe within German public opinion, this report explores the relationship between German national identity and immigration. It provides an overview of demographics, trends, and current debates, with recommendation on how to challenge prevailing stereotypes of Muslims and ensure equal outcomes for immigrants and their descendants.

ImmigrantIntegration Austerity  Cover
Reports
March 2011

The global economic downturn and rising debt levels in all European countries have put immigration at the forefront of many debates surrounding public spending. This report presents a diversity of findings with regard to European governments' responses to immigrant integration organization, financing, and programs.

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Reports
October 2010

Immigrants have been disproportionately hit by the global economic crisis that began in 2008 and now confront a number of challenges. The report, which has a particular focus on Germany, Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and United States finds that the unemployment gap between immigrant and native workers has widened in many places.

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