Why are fewer people moving to Germany?

The number of people moving to Germany continues to decline, according to figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). So what is changing?

Fewer people moving to Germany

1,48 million people moved to Germany in 2025, 13 percent fewer than in 2024 according to figures from Destatis. In 2024, net migration sat at 430.000 people and in 2025 it fell to 235.000 people, a 45 percent year-on-year decline.

Within Germany, movement between federal states remains constant. Brandenburg saw the greatest number of newcomers in 2025 as 9.000 people moved to the eastern federal state. Bavaria and Schleswig-Holstein followed, each receiving 8.000 newcomers. 

Meanwhile, the population of Berlin fell by 12.000 people, of Thuringia by 6.000 people and of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, by 5.000 people.

Why are fewer people moving to Germany?

Destatis put the 45 percent year-on-year net migration drop partly down to fewer people moving from key asylum countries to Germany. The previous SPD-FDP-Greens coalition and current CDU/CSU-SPD coalition have both introduced policies which make it more difficult for people to claim asylum in Germany. 

However, Gerald Knaus, a migration expert and founder of the European Stability Initiative, believes that attributing the significant net migration decrease to the German government’s increasingly draconian migration policies would be an oversimplification.

Speaking to InfoMigrants, Knaus said the main reason for the decline in asylum applications between 2024 and 2025 was the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. In 2024, 75.000 Syrian nationals moved to Germany, compared to 25.000 people in 2025. 

However, asylum applications from countries where residents are still facing oppressive regimes or war also fell. Between 2024 and 2025, asylum applications by Turkish nationals fell by 41 percent, by Afghan nationals by 41 percent and by Ukrainian nationals by 21 percent.

There was also a decrease in the net migration of EU citizens to Germany. More German citizens left the federal republic for another EU or EEA state than vice versa. German citizens were predominantly leaving for Switzerland, Austria and Spain.

Why are people leaving Germany for other EU states? Germany’s economic instability, a weakening job market, and an affordable housing crisis are likely among the reasons, though the latter is currently a problem in many EU and EEA states.