A shift in migration in Germany: for the first time since 2008, more people are leaving than arriving.
Germany is witnessing an unprecedented shift in migration patterns within the European Union, as the Federal Statistical Office announced that the number of people leaving for EU countries has exceeded the number of arrivals for the first time since 2008. The net migration deficit with the EU has reached 34,000 people.
Net migration to Germany decreased to 430,000 people in 2024, compared to 663,000 in the previous year, primarily attributed to a decline in the number of new arrivals. In comparison to 2023, migration balances have notably reversed. While Germany had a surplus of 15,000 people coming from Poland last year, this year it saw 11,000 people leaving for Poland. With Romania, the migration surplus of 16,000 turned into a deficit of 5,000 people. In the case of Bulgaria, the slight surplus of 1,000 people decreased to a net loss of 11,000 departures.
This change is attributed to the significant decrease in the number of newcomers; immigration from Poland decreased by 22,000 people (21%), from Bulgaria by 11,000 (18%), and from Romania by 16,000 (8%). Immigration from the main countries of asylum seekers has also decreased. Net immigration from Syria decreased by 25% to 75,000 people, from Turkey by 53% (41,000 people), and from Afghanistan by 32% (33,000 people).
As for Ukraine, the net number of arrivals remained stable at 121,000 people, despite a decline in both incoming and outgoing numbers. Data confirms that this trend continued in the first four months of 2025, as net migration from Ukraine did not exceed 20,000 people during that period.
On the domestic front, one million movements between German states were recorded in 2024, a decrease of 31,000 movements (3%) compared to the previous year. Brandenburg had the highest internal migration surplus with 12,000 people, followed by Bavaria with 10,000 and Schleswig-Holstein with 9,000. Meanwhile, Berlin recorded the highest population loss with 15,000 people, followed by Thuringia with 6,000, and both Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia with 5,000 each.