Refugee numbers in Germany fall for first time since 2011

The number of refugees living in Germany has fallen for the first time in nine years, according to new figures released by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The Left party says the figures are proof that the government is not doing enough to help those in need. 

Number of refugees in Germany falls for first time since 2011

For the first time since 2011, the number of refugees living in Germany has decreased. In response to a request from the Left party, the Federal Ministry of the Interior published figures revealing that 1,77 million refugees with different residence statuses were living in Germany in the middle of 2020 - around 62.000 fewer than at the end of 2019. 

According to the report, there are currently around 1,31 million refugees with a secure residence in Germany - around 50.000 fewer than in the previous six months. A further 450.000 people live as asylum seekers or so-called “tolerated residents” - those who are still waiting for a decision or have had their application rejected - which is 15.000 fewer than in the previous year. 

A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of the Interior said that the decline was mainly due to the fact that many people have had their refugee status revoked or withdrawn, or whose status has expired. A “significant proportion” of those affected have already left Germany, she said.

Left party says German government must do more

Ulla Jelpke, a member of the Bundestag for the Left party, said the numbers were a damning indictment of the German government’s refugee policy: “We have space, the numbers show it,” she said. “At the same time, tens of thousands of people seeking protection are stuck waiting in terrible conditions at the outer periphery of the EU.” 

She added that “as a rich country in the middle of Europe, Germany should not shirk its responsibility by barricading itself behind barbed wire, hotspot camps and the tough policies of states with external EU borders.” 

Germany pledges to take more refugees from Moria camp 

The issue of Germany’s responsibility for refugees has been hotly debated for years, particularly in the wake of Angela Merkel’s decision to open the borders to Syrian refugees in 2015. Over a million people arrived within the space of 18 months. While voices on the left have since called upon the government to do more, others (particularly the far-right AfD party) have advocated a much more restrictive refugee policy. 

Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer recently announced to the Bundestag that the German government had pledged to take in more migrants from Moria, the largest refugee camp in Europe which burnt down in a suspected arson attack in September. The first group of Moria refugees, mostly unaccompanied minors and sick children and their families, arrived in Germany last week.