Migration·1h ago

Over four million refugees and displaced persons live in Germany, half from Ukraine and Syria

New statistics show that more than four million people with a refugee or displacement background lived in Germany in 2025. Nearly half of the post-1950 arrivals came from Ukraine and Syria.

Overall figures

More than four million people in Germany lived as refugees, displaced persons or international protection seekers in 2025, according to preliminary results of the Mikrozensus 2025. Of these, 3.3 million entered the country since 1950 for reasons of flight, displacement, asylum or international protection. Another 713,000 are surviving German expellees from the Second World War who arrived before 1950. The statistics, released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on 17 June 2026 ahead of World Refugee Day, exclude those in communal accommodation and individuals who have since left or died.

Origins and demographics

Almost half of the post-1950 group come from just two countries: Ukraine (832,000, 25 percent) and Syria (732,000, 22 percent).

These two countries of origin already account for nearly half of all refugees who immigrated since 1950 and were living in Germany in 2025.
— Statistisches Bundesamt

Other significant source countries include Afghanistan (316,000), Iraq (186,000), Turkey (146,000), Poland (120,000) and Iran (117,000). The average age of this group was 39 years, with 45 percent women and 55 percent men.

Immigration waves

Major immigration waves to Germany since 1990

Jan 1, 1995Around 476,000 people, many from former Yugoslavia
Jan 1, 20141.2 million refugees arrive, driven by Syrian civil war
Feb 24, 20221.1 million people, primarily from Ukraine, after Russian invasion

The post-1950 arrivals can be divided into three main phases. Between 1990 and 2000, around 476,000 people came, many fleeing the wars in the former Yugoslavia. From 2014 to 2021, 1.2 million immigrants arrived, largely driven by the Syrian civil war that began in 2011. Another 1.1 million entered between 2022 and 2025, almost entirely following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

World War II expellees

The 713,000 surviving World War II expellees are German citizens by birth who lived in former German territories and were relocated to the territory of today's Germany before 1950. In 2025 their average age was 85 years; 61 percent are women and 39 percent men. They live predominantly in the eastern states: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (2.3 percent of the population), Saxony-Anhalt (1.5 percent), Brandenburg and Thuringia.

Regional distribution

Among the post-1950 refugee population, the city-state of Bremen had the highest share relative to total population at 7.3 percent, followed by Hamburg (6.3 percent) and Saarland (5.7 percent). The lowest shares were in Bavaria (3.0 percent), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (2.5 percent) and Brandenburg (2.5 percent). The figures capture only those in private households; people living in reception centres were not counted, meaning the actual number of refugees is likely higher.

Refugees in Germany by country of origin (since 1950) · peopleSmart chart

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