The Migration Report 2021 , Date: 2023.01.11, format: Migration report, area: Authority

Source: © iStock | Kasia Biel (cover image)

The 2021 Migration Report prepared by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees was presented by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community on 11 January 2023. 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 on the rise once more

Net migration to Germany had been declining continuously since 2016. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 further intensified this trend. At a level of +329,163 persons, net migration was however much higher in 2021, the second year of the pandemic, than it had been in the previous year (+220,251), and thus reached pre-pandemic levels once more. 1,323,466 arrivals and 994,303 departures were recorded in 2021. Immigration to Germany increased by 11.5 percent in comparison to 2020, and emigration rose by 2.9 percent as against 2020.

Migration largely from or to European countries

Migration to and from Germany has been largely characterised for years by arrivals and departures from and to other European countries. The share of persons immigrating from European countries was 63.8 percent in 2021 (2020: 69.1 percent), this including 46.7 percent accounted for people from Member States of the EU (not incl. the United Kingdom). Europe was the main destination region for departures too. More than two-thirds of these individuals moved from Germany to another European country in 2021 (67.9 percent; 67.4 percent in 2019); 54.0 percent migrated to other EU Member States (2020: 55.7 percent).

Immigration for humanitarian reasons

The number of asylum applications had been falling since 2016, in particular the number of asylum applications fell steeply in the pandemic year 2020. This development was caused above all by the travel restrictions that were imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With 148,233 first-time asylum applications, 2021 saw a much larger number than in the previous year (+44.5 percent). 17.5 percent of the first-time applications related to children less than one year old who had been born to asylum-seekers in Germany (25,879). This share was as high as 25.9 percent in 2020. 122,354 (82.5 percent) of the first-time applications are therefore cross-border asylum applications (2020: 76,061).

Family reunification to join third-country nationals

A total of 81,705 residence permits for family reasons were issued to individuals who entered the country in 2021. The number rose by 40.8 percent (2020: 58,022). In 9,128 cases, these were relatives of persons entitled to protection¹ who came to Germany as part of family reunification. Their share among total family reunification amounts to 11.2 percent.

International students

The number of persons who had acquired their higher education entrance qualification outside Germany taking up their studies in Germany rose from a level of 86,529 in 2020 to 102,549 in 2021, thus increasing by 18.5 percent. This means that 2021 saw a renewed increase in this group, following on from 2020 when the lowest number of persons with foreign nationality who had acquired their higher education entrance qualification abroad among first-year students at German higher education institutions had been observed since 2014.

Labour migration from non-EU countries

The Immigration Act for Skilled Workers (Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz – FEG) brought about a significant change to the law on labour migration to Germany. The Act came into force as per 1 March 2020. At the same time, however, the growing COVID-19 pandemic slowed down international mobility, and thus also the influx of labour migrants. Due to the pandemic, developments in labour migration in 2020 fell to 29,747 arrivals receiving a residence permit for employment reasons (-53.7 percent in comparison to 2019). Growth to 40,421 immigrants was recorded once more in 2021, the second year of the pandemic (+35.9 percent vis-à-vis 2020).

If one looks at the structure of labour migration to Germany in 2021, it becomes apparent that the majority of the individuals concerned are qualified or highly-qualified skilled workers (a total of 24,744 persons, or 61.3 percent). This group includes previous residence titles for qualified employment (until the end of February 2020), experts 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 by resettlers

A slight increase in immigration by (ethnic German) resettlers (Spätaussiedler) and their family members had been registered once more since 2013 due to changes to the law which facilitated family reunification in particular. 4,309 persons were registered as resettlers in 2020. This corresponds to a drop of 39.8 percent over the previous year, this being particularly due to restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, both in the countries of origin and in Germany. The number of resettlers immigrating rose once again in 2021 to regain the 2019 level (7,052, +63.7 percent).

Germany is the number one destination country in Europe

Germany continues to be the main destination country for migration in a European comparison (total immigration and asylum-related immigration in absolute numbers). Spain, France, Italy and Poland also account for a large share of immigration in the EU. It should be noted here that the immigration figures relate to 2020, and hence to the first year of the pandemic.

27.3 percent of Germany's population has a migration background

According to figures from the Microcensus, 22.3 million people lived in private households in Germany in 2021 who did not have German citizenship from birth, or who had at least one parent to whom this applied. This corresponds to a population share of 27.3 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 (37.6 percent) have lived in Germany for fewer than ten years.

Footnote

The Migration Report is only available in German.

This download is available in other languages, too.

• Migrationsbericht 2021 (German) Migrationsbericht 2021: Add to shopping cart (German)