The Migration Report 2020 , Date: 2022.01.12, format: Migration report, area: Authority

Source: © iStock | Kasia Biel (cover image)

The 2020 Migration Report prepared by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees was approved by the Federal Cabinet on 12 January 2022. In addition to comprehensive migration data on Germany, the report also contains a comparison of migration flows and asylum immigration within Europe. It deals with the phenomenon of irregular migration, and provides information on the structure and development of the population with a migration background in Germany.

Main results

Net immigration declining

Net migration to Germany has been declining continuously since 2016. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has further intensified this trend. As a result of the global travel restrictions that were caused by the pandemic, the decline in migration was particularly noticeable from March 2020 onwards. In 2020, a total of 1,186,702 arrivals and 966,451 departures were recorded, so that immigration to Germany decreased by 23.9 percent, and emigration fell by 21.5 percent in comparison to 2019. These developments culminated in net migration of +220,251 persons. This was a significantly lower value than in 2019 (+327,060 persons). More or less pronounced declines were therefore also shown in the individual forms of migration.

Migration largely from or to European countries

Migration to and from Germany continues to be especially characterised by arrivals from and departures to other European countries. This meant that 69.1 percent of all immigrants came to Germany from another European country in 2020 (66.4 percent in 2019), 54.6 percent of them from EU Member States (incl. the United Kingdom). The importance of intra-European migration is also reflected in the number of departures: Europe was the main destination region here too. About two-thirds of those emigrating moved from Germany to another European country in 2020 (67.4 percent; 67.2 percent in 2019); 55.7 percent migrated to other EU Member States including the United Kingdom (56.0 percent in 2019).

Immigration for humanitarian reasons

The number of asylum applications reflects the ongoing decline in forced migration: The number of first-time applications fell from 722,370 to 142,509 in the period 2016 to 2019 (-80.3 per cent). The declining trend continued in 2020 due to the pandemic. 102,581 people applied for asylum for the first time, this being 28.0 percent fewer than in 2019. The number of asylum applicants thus fell below the 2013 level (109,580 first-time applications). 25.9 percent of asylum applicants in 2020 were children under the age of one who were born in Germany (26,520 asylum applications), and their share increased again in comparison to 2019 (22.0 percent). This brought the number of cross-border first-time asylum applications in 2020 to 76,061 (2019: 111,094).

Decrease in family reunification

A total of 58,022 residence permits for family reasons were issued to persons who entered Germany in 2020. Compared to the previous year, the number fell by 40.0 per cent due to the pandemic (2019: 96,633). In 6,412 cases, these were relatives of persons entitled to protection who came to Germany as part of family reunification. Their share of total family reunification amounts to 11.1 percent.

86,529 students from abroad took up their studies in Germany

The number of foreign students who had acquired their higher education entrance qualification abroad and who took up their studies in Germany fell from 110,974 in 2019 to 86,529 in 2020, thus declining by 22.0 percent. This means that the lowest number of foreign students among first-year students at German higher education institutions since 2014 was recorded 2020. This is also likely to be connected with the international mobility restrictions that were imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 pandemic slows down the newly-introduced Immigration Act for Skilled Workers

The Immigration Act for Skilled Workers (Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz – FEG) brought about a significant change to the law on labour migration in Germany. The Act came into force on 1 March 2020. At the same time, however, the spreading COVID-19 pandemic slowed down international mobility, and thus also the influx of labour migrants. As a result of this and of changes in statistical recording resulting from the Act, the figures on labour migration by third-country nationals in 2020 can only be compared with those of previous years to a limited extent. It is not yet possible to assess the effects of the Act on this basis. 29,747 persons entered Germany in 2020 who were granted a residence title for labour migration. This corresponds to a decline of 53.7 percent compared to 2019.

Looking at the structure of labour migration to Germany in 2020, it becomes apparent that the majority of the persons concerned are qualified or highly-qualified experts (a total of 16,597 persons, or 55.8 percent). This group includes previous residence titles for qualified employment (until the end of February 2020), skilled persons with vocational or academic training, highly-qualified individuals, researchers, holders of a (mobile) ICT Card or of an EU Blue Card, and self-employed persons.

Immigration of late resettlers

A slight increase in immigration by (ethnic German) resettlers (Spätaussiedler) and their family members had been registered since 2013 due to legal changes that facilitated family reunification in particular. By contrast, only 4,309 persons were registered as late resettlers by the Federal Office of Administration in 2020. This is 39.8 percent fewer than in the previous year (2019: 7,155), and is again due to restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Germany is the number one destination country in European comparison

In European comparison (total immigration and asylum-related immigration in absolute numbers), Germany continues to be the main destination country for migration and has become significantly more attractive in comparison to other European states in recent years. Spain, the United Kingdom, France and Italy also account for a large share of immigration in the EU.

26.7 percent of the German population have a migration background

In 2020, according to figures from the Microcensus, 21.9 million people lived in German in private households who themselves or at least one of whose parents did not have German citizenship since birth. This corresponds to a population share of 26.7 percent of people with a migration background. More than half of them are German nationals, and just under two-thirds immigrated to Germany themselves. People with personal experience of immigration have lived in Germany for an average of around 21 years, but more than one-third (37.7 percent) have lived in Germany for fewer than ten years.

The Migration Report is only available in German.

This download is available in other languages, too.

• Migrationsbericht 2020 (German)