DON’T MISS
IamExpat FairIamExpat Job BoardIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Expat Info
German news & articles
What percentage of Germany’s voting population has a migrant background?
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

What percentage of Germany’s voting population has a migrant background?

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

November 2023: 9 changes affecting expats in GermanyNovember 2023: 9 changes affecting expats in Germany
Germany to scrap academic titles from IDs and passportsGermany to scrap academic titles from IDs and passports
2025 in Germany: All the changes you need to know about2025 in Germany: All the changes you need to know about
German government to scrap fast-track citizenship schemeGerman government to scrap fast-track citizenship scheme
Berlin threatens to deport 4 pro-Palestine protesters with US and EU citizenshipBerlin threatens to deport 4 pro-Palestine protesters with US and EU citizenship
Future CDU / SPD coalition vows to keep German dual citizenship lawFuture CDU / SPD coalition vows to keep German dual citizenship law
313% more Berliners sued Germany over citizenship delays in 2024313% more Berliners sued Germany over citizenship delays in 2024
Merz promises to solve Germany’s migration “problem” if electedMerz promises to solve Germany’s migration “problem” if elected
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usImpressumSitemapRSS feeds
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat FairWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Dec 20, 2024
Olivia Logan

Editor at IamExpat Media

Editor for Germany at IamExpat Media. Olivia first came to Germany in 2013 to work as an Au Pair. Since studying English Literature and German in Scotland, Freiburg and Berlin she has worked as a features journalist and news editor.Read more

Newly published figures from the Federal Statistical Office have revealed new information about the demographic makeup of Germany’s eligible voters.

12 percent of eligible voters had a migrant background in 2023

According to figures published on International Migrants Day (December 18), just 7,1 million residents with a migrant background could have voted in a German federal election, if one was held in 2023. Last year, 17,1 million people aged 18 or over and living in Germany had a migrant background, making up around 25 percent of the overall population. 

Germany’s Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) considers a resident to have a “migrant background” if that person or one or both of their parents has migrated to Germany since 1950. Many of these people have grown up in Germany their whole lives, but have a temporary or permanent residence status and not the German citizenship which would make them eligible to vote.

These figures reveal that residents with a migrant background made up just 12 percent of eligible voters in Germany in 2023, up from 9 percent in 2013.

Data cannot be used to predict 2025 Bundestagswahl outcome

In 2023, Germany recorded the highest number of naturalisations in 23 years, with the majority of new citizens hailing from Syria, Greece and Romania.

Since the outgoing federal government passed the dual citizenship law in June 2024, making millions more long-term residents eligible for the passport they need to vote, the number of eligible voters with a migrant background is only expected to have risen in 2024, and to continue rising in 2025.

However, Destatis warned that its recent figures revealed little information about how demographic changes in Germany’s voting population may shape the snap election scheduled for February.  “Given that the most recent data relates to 2023, the figures given only provide approximate information with regard to the 2025 federal election,” the organisation wrote in its press release.

Thumb image credit: Rlf Liebhold / Shutterstock.com

By Olivia Logan