Record number of refugees in Germany: What is now coming up!

Over 3.45 million refugees live in Germany in 2024. Ukraine war drives up asylum applications.
Over 3.45 million refugees live in Germany in 2024. Ukraine war drives up asylum applications. (Symbolbild/NAG)

Record number of refugees in Germany: What is now coming up!

Deutschland - at the end of 2024, 3.45 million foreigners lived in Germany as refugees. This achieved a new high, which documents the continued refugee crisis. Compared to the previous year, the number of newcomers rose by around 124,000. This is a remarkable increase, which supplements the already high growth of 270,000 refugees in 2023 and 1.2 million in 2022. The majority of these migrants come from Ukraine, which illustrates the consequences of the Russian attack on the country. At the end of March 2025, a total of 1.26 million refugees from Ukraine lived in Germany.

Of the newly arrived Ukrainians, over 200,000 have remained permanently in Germany without returning to their homeland. The reasons for escape are diverse, including conflicts, violence and human rights violations, which, according to the United Nations, fled more than 117 million people worldwide. Among the registered migrants of asylum in Germany, 85 percent have a secure residence status, which supports the integration of many refugees into German society.

residence status and naturalizations

of the 3.45 million refugees have almost 43,000 people asylum status in accordance with Article 16 a of the Basic Law. In addition, 710,000 migrants are classified as those seeking protection in accordance with the Geneva Refugee Convention, and 381,000 people, mostly from Syria, enjoy subsidiary protection. 197,000 Afghans are also particularly affected, which may remain in Germany due to a ban on deportation. Despite these positive developments, 221,000 foreigners are compensated for, of which 125,000 rejected asylum seekers were.

Another distinctive aspect of the refugee situation in Germany is the high number of naturalizations. In 2024, Germany recorded a record number of 200,000 naturalizations, with 75,000 Syrians being among the new citizens. This shows the effectiveness of the so -called turbo naturalization, which has been enabling foreigners since mid -2024 to apply for German citizenship after only five years. However, this regulation could be abolished by the new Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt, which has not yet been cast in a form of legal form.

asylum applications in the EU

6.9 million asylum applications were made in the EU throughout 2023, with Germany the highest proportion among the Member States. Surprisingly, in 2023, most of the initial applications on asylum from Syrian, Afghan and Turkish citizens came. Countries such as Germany, France and Italy were the main clerks, while Greece took fourth place with 57,895 applications. The recognition rate for asylum applications in Germany was 52 %, which is relatively high in European comparison, while countries such as Spain and Romania had significantly lower odds.

These developments are in the context of a global crisis, in which three quarters of refugees are looking for protection in countries with low or medium -sized incomes. The war in Ukraine has significantly influenced the migration movements in Europe, which gives many people temporary protection in accordance with the EU Directive 2001/55/EC, which often means that they do not apply for asylum.

In summary, it turns out that Germany and the EU are confronted with a persistently high number of refugees who have both opportunities and challenges for society. Politics faces the task of finding appropriate solutions in order to meet the humanitarian needs of migrants and maintain social stability. Further information on migration and refugee policy in the EU can be found on the pages of Eurostat .

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