Migration and displacement

83.1 million people reside in Germany:

of which 11.2 million are foreign nationals; of these, 43% are EU citizens.
of which 20.8 million have an immigration background. In the 10-20 age group, this share is around 36%.
- 10.9 million Germans (13% of the population) have an immigration background; one in three has lived in Germany since birth.

166,000 people applied for asylum in Germany in 2019. Of these, 43% (71,400) were minors.

8,647 unaccompanied refugee minors were taken into the custody of child and youth services in 2019. 11% were female minors. 65% were between 16 and 18 years of age.

Notes

Zwei Mädchen sitzen in einem Bälle-Bad / Two girls sitting in a ball pit

Yan Krukov / pexels.com

83.1 million people were resident in Germany in 2020.

Foreign nationals in Germany

11.2 million foreign nationals were living in Germany at the end of 2019, half of these for eight or more years. 43% hold the nationality of an EU member state. Turkish nationals make up the majority, followed by nationals of Poland, Syria, Romania and Italy.

People with an immigration background in Germany

The Federal Statistical Office defines a person as having an immigration background when they themselves or at least one parent was born with a nationality other than German. One person in three with an immigration background has lived in Germany since their birth.

The younger the age cohort, the greater the share of people with an immigration background. One-third of the target audience for youth services comprises young people with an immigration background.

Population with and without an immigration background, 2019 (absolute figures in thousands)
	Total		0–10 age group		10–20 age group
Status	N	%	N	%	N	%
Without immigration background	60,814	74	4,310	60	4,901	64
With immigration background	20,799	25	2,910	40	2,747	36
German nationals	10,892	13	2,032	28	1,904	25
Non-German nationals	9,907	12	0,879	13	0,833	11

Source: Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) 2020 a, p. 17

Refugee minors

Refugee minors very often arrive in Germany accompanied by one or both parents. In 2019 around 166,000 people applied for asylum in Germany. 43% (71,400) of these were minors. The older the refugee minors are, the larger the share accounted for by males. In the younger age cohorts, the share of female minors is the same as that of male minors.

Unaccompanied refugee minors

8,647 unaccompanied refugee minors were taken into the custody of child and youth services in 2019. 11% of them were female minors. 65% were between 16 and 18 years of age. Most refugee minors thus arrive in Germany accompanied.

Unaccompanied refugee minors are legally entitled to be taken into the custody of child and youth services (Article 42 of Book 8 of the Social Code [SGB VIII]). In 2015 a preliminary custody process (Articles 42a et seq. SGB VIII) was incorporated with the aim of ensuring a more even distribution of refugee minors across the federal states and local authorities.

The youth welfare offices in Germany were responsible for 22,362 unaccompanied minors as of 30 September 2020. This number includes young persons that have attained full age but who arrived in Germany as unaccompanied minors.

Information System

Child and Youth Services in Germany

Structural framework > Society