Press release No. N062 from December 12, 2024
- 712,000 Syrians seeking protection registered at the end of 2023 – the second largest group behind Ukrainians
- Almost 1.3 million people with a Syrian immigrant background live in Germany, 18% of them were born here
- On average, immigrants from Syria have been living in Germany for a good 8 years
WIESBADEN – The war in Syria that has lasted for years and the associated refugee migration has had a significant impact on the population in Germany. At the end of 2023, around 712,000 Syrians seeking protection were registered in the Central Register of Foreigners (AZR), as reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Syrians made up 22% of the total 3.17 million people seeking protection and were the second largest group after Ukrainian nationals (31%). The majority of Syrians seeking protection have been living in Germany for a long time: of the immigrant Syrians seeking protection, a good half (52%) came to Germany for the first time after the outbreak of the war in Syria between 2014 and 2016. 12% of Syrians seeking protection were born in Germany. Those seeking protection are foreigners who, according to the AZR in Germany citing international law, humanitarian or political reasons.
The majority of Syrians seeking protection have a humanitarian residence permit and therefore have recognized protection status (624,000 or 88%). In most cases, this involves protection status for refugees under the Geneva Refugee Convention (279,000 or 39% of all Syrians seeking protection) or subsidiary protection (240,000 or 34%). Subsidiary protection intervenes if neither refugee protection nor asylum entitlement can be granted and there is a risk of serious harm in the country of origin. The protection status of another almost 81,000 Syrians seeking protection was still open (11%). Around 7,000 (1%) had rejected protection status, for example because their asylum application was rejected or they had lost their protection status. For 90% of the approximately 624,000 Syrians seeking protection with recognized protection status, this was temporary.
72,000 initial applications for asylum from Syrians from January to November 2024
Syrians have also sought protection in Germany in 2024: The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees recorded 72,000 initial applications for asylum in the period from January to November of this year. Syrian citizens make one in three initial applications for asylum during this period. They were the largest group of the 217,000 people who applied for asylum in Germany for the first time during this period.
The data is available for the entire European Union (EU) up to and including September: there was a lot of noise during this period EU-Statistical authority Eurostat received 111,000 initial applications for asylum from Syrians. Also EU-wide, they were the largest group of asylum seekers (16%). More than half (52% or 57,000) of these applications were submitted in Germany. In total there were 2024 from January to September EU-widely almost 686,000 initial applications for asylum.
Immigrants are on average 22.9 years old when they arrive
The number of people with a Syrian immigration history is significantly larger than the number of Syrians seeking protection in this country. According to the microcensus, there will be almost 1.3 million people living in Germany in 2023 who themselves (82%) or whose both parents (18%) immigrated from Syria. Around 214,000 of them (17%) had German citizenship, for example through naturalization. According to naturalization statistics, a good 75,000 Syrians were naturalized in 2023 alone; at 38%, they made up the largest share of all naturalizations.
According to the microcensus, a large proportion of those who immigrated themselves came to Germany as part of the large refugee movement from 2014 onwards: 62% moved here between 2014 and 2016. On average, those who immigrated from Syria had lived in Germany for 8.2 years in 2023. At the time of their entry they were on average 22.9 years old.
Most people with a Syrian immigrant background live in North Rhine-Westphalia (374,000, 29%). A good one in ten people (11%) lived in Lower Saxony, followed by Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg (9% each).
57% of people with a Syrian immigrant background are male
People with a Syrian immigrant background were on average 25.8 years old in 2023. For comparison: people with a history of immigration had a total average age of 37.7 years. 57% of all people with a Syrian immigration history were male and 43% female. Also due to the comparatively low average age, 774,000 or 61% of the 1.3 million people with a Syrian immigration history were single and 461,000 were married (36%).
A fifth of 15 to 64-year-olds with a Syrian immigrant background are still in education
Around 863,000 people with a Syrian immigrant background were of working age between 15 and 64 in 2023. Of these, 42% or 362,000 people were employed, 8% or 66,000 were unemployed and half (50% or 435,000) were inactive, for example because they were still in (training) education, because they could not work due to illness or because they didn't have a work permit. The proportion of inactive people is significantly higher than in the population with a history of immigration as a whole (27%) or the population without a history of immigration (17%) at the respective ages of 15 to 64. One reason for this is that a high proportion of the population with a Syrian immigrant background is still in education due to the low average age. 19% of all 15 to 64-year-olds with a Syrian immigrant background were still in school or training. For comparison: This applies to 11% of all people with a history of immigration and 10% of all people without a history of immigration in this age group.
A good fifth of people with a Syrian immigrant background between the ages of 15 and 64 had a vocational qualification in 2023 (22% or 190,000), of which 106,000 had an academic degree. 59% or 513,000 people with a Syrian immigrant background did not have a professional qualification. 19% are still in (training) education.
Methodological notes:
Those seeking protection are foreigners who, according to the AZR in Germany citing international law, humanitarian or political reasons.
They include people,
a) who are staying in Germany to carry out an asylum procedure, but a final decision has not yet been made on their application for protection (protection seekers with open protection status),
b) who have been recognized as having a temporary or permanent residence permit from the humanitarian area of the Residence Act (AufenthG) (those seeking protection with recognized protection status),
c) who are staying in Germany after being rejected in the asylum procedure or after losing their humanitarian residence permit (protection seekers with rejected protection status).
Some of those seeking protection who arrived in 2015 were only registered in the course of 2016. The numbers of people seeking protection as of December 31, 2015 can therefore be classified as too low.
The results on the population by immigration history come from the microcensus, a sample survey in which around 1% of the population in Germany is surveyed annually. The initial results for the reporting year 2023 are shown. In order to be able to make statements about the total population from the data collected, the data is extrapolated based on the key figures of the population update. Key figures for population updates based on the 2011 census are currently being used for this purpose. People in private main residence households are shown. The population in shared accommodation (e.g. refugees living there) is not included in the results.
People have an immigration history if they or both parents have immigrated to what is now Germany since 1950.
Further information:
Further results on those seeking protection and naturalization can be found in the GENESIS database.On-line (Tables 12531 and Tables 12511) available.
Results on the population by immigration history can also be found in the statistical report “Population by immigration history – initial results 2023”.
The European comparative data is available in the Eurostat database.
The Integration Dashboard offers easily accessible data on the integration of immigrants in Germany. it provides interactive graphics on 60 indicators from the integration report of the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration. The broad range of data covers 14 subject areas, including the labor market, education, demographics, social and community participation and security.
