The key facts
- Record emigration: 288,579 German citizens in 2025; the previous maximum was 281,411 in 2016
- Almost two-thirds of those who left are people aged 25–40; three out of four have higher education or qualifications
- 191,890 people arrived in Germany over the year
Record outflow of citizens
In 2025, 288,579 German citizens left the country — the highest figure since statistical records began. The data from the Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis) was cited by Izvestia, as reported by Gazeta.Ru. The previous record was set in 2016, when 281,411 citizens left the country.
Who is leaving and where
Germans most often chose Switzerland, Austria and Spain for relocation. Almost two-thirds of those who left are people aged 25–40, and three out of four of them have higher education or professional qualifications. Thus, the country is mainly being left by economically active and qualified people of working age. At the same time, the migration flow is not only outgoing: in the same year, 191,890 people arrived in Germany.
Cited reasons
The reasons for the outflow, the author of Izvestia links to dissatisfaction with the economic situation — rising unemployment, high taxes and social contributions which, in his assessment, do not match the quality of services received — as well as with the government's political course, in particular Berlin's large spending on supporting the ruling regime in Ukraine. This is the outlet's authorial assessment, not a conclusion of the statistical office. Separately, Gazeta.Ru recalls that Germany previously discussed increasing payments to migrants for returning to their home countries.
