Press release No. 47 of July 11, 2024

• 15.6 million immigrants living in Germany on 15 May 2022
• A total of 18.1 million people in Germany with an immigration history
• Data on the population (demographics), buildings and dwellings now available in the census database

WIESBADEN - On 15 May 2022, around 15.6 million people living in Germany were immigrants to the country. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that this corresponds to roughly 19% of the population. The information in this press release coincides with the release of the census database today.

Non-German population younger than the German population
67.1 million people living in Germany on Census Day (15 May 2022) had been born in Germany. Of these, 2% did not have German citizenship. 40% of the 15.6 million people born abroad held German citizenship, while 60% were citizens of another country. According to the results of the 2022 Census, the average age of the non-German population (10.9 million people) was 37 years, while the German population (71.8 million people) averaged 45 years.

Most immigrants come from Poland, Turkey and Russia
In addition to the 15.6 million people who immigrated to Germany themselves, there were a further 2.5 million people (3% of the population) under 19 years of age who were descendants of immigrants. For methodological reasons, over 18-year-olds who are descendants of immigrants are not counted as people with an immigration history in the 2022 Census. According to this definition, there were at least 18.1 million people with an immigration history living in Germany on 15 May 2022.

Among those who personally immigrated to Germany, the proportion of men and women is almost even (49.7% men, 50.3% women), with most immigrants coming from Poland (12%), Turkey (9%) and Russia (7%). The arrival of persons seeking protection from Syria and Ukraine is also reflected in the figures, with around 757,000 people (5%) arriving from Syria and roughly 763,000 (5%) from Ukraine.

Highest concentration of immigrants in Offenbach, Pforzheim and Heilbronn
Most immigrants in relation to the total population were located in Offenbach (43%), with Turkey, Poland and Romania reported as the most common countries of birth. Immigrants accounted for more than one third of the population of Pforzheim (39%), Heilbronn (37%), Frankfurt (36%) and Ingolstadt (33%). Most immigrants in Pforzheim were born in Russia, while most of the immigrant population in Heilbronn and Frankfurt come from Turkey. 17% of Ingolstadt's immigrants are from Romania.

Data on demographics, buildings and dwellings now available in the census database
The census database is a search tool that allows users to retrieve detailed results of the 2022 Census in tabular form for various regional levels - Germany, Länder, administrative districts, municipalities and boroughs (Berlin, Hamburg) - and combine the data with other variables. Various output formats are available for further data processing. The census database is based on the same technology as the other databases provided by official statistics agencies in Germany. Other applications can also communicate with the database directly (API) via programming languages.

First results on the subject areas of population (demographics), and buildings and dwellings are now available in the database. Data on households and families, education and employment and the new publication of the results for 2011 based on the territorial boundaries of 2022 will follow in a phased approach.

The following tables on immigration history are available in the census database:

Table 1000A-2021:
Persons: age (age groups of relevance to infrastructure) - immigration history
https://ergebnisse.zensus2022.de/datenbank/online/statistic/1000A/table/1000A-2021

Table 1000A-2022:
Persons: age (10-year age bands)/age (5-year age bands))/age (in single years))/marital status (in detail)/sex/religion - immigration history
https://ergebnisse.zensus2022.de/datenbank/online/statistic/1000A/table/1000A-2022

Table 1000A-2023:
Persons: citizenship/citizenship (continents) - immigration history
https://ergebnisse.zensus2022.de/datenbank/online/statistic/1000A/table/1000A-2023

Methodological notes:
'People with an immigration history' refers to people who either immigrated to Germany themselves or whose two parents immigrated to Germany. The country at the time of a person's birth applies. Data on people born before 2 August 1945 are processed on the basis of the borders of the German Reich on 31 December 1937. Individuals born after 2 August 1945 are categorised on the basis of today's borders of the Federal Republic of Germany. In the 2022 Census, information on the descendants of immigrants can only be provided for people aged 18 and under who are registered in the same municipality as their parents, irrespective of whether one parent or both parents of the individual were born abroad.  In the 2022 Census, the 'immigration history' approach replaces the 'migrant background' approach that was applied in the 2011 Census. The new 'immigration history' approach was devised by the Expert Commission on Integration Capability and developed further under the microcensus.

The Census is designed to provide nationally comparable results for a specific reference date while keeping the burden on respondents to a minimum. The 2022 Census was carried out using a register-assisted procedure, as was the 2011 Census. This means that existing administrative data were used - particularly from the population registers. The real estate owners to be surveyed were determined, for instance, on the basis of real property tax data. Where no or not enough administrative data were available or the data quality was insufficient, surveys were conducted to obtain the required data. Roughly 12% of the population were polled in the household survey. Approximately 23 million residential property owners provided information on their property for the census of buildings and housing, as did some 8,000 housing companies. For the first time, questions were asked in relation to the rent charged, the heating energy used and the reasons for dwelling vacancy and the vacancy duration. Information on the conduct of the 2022 Census is also provided in the Factsheet zum Ablauf der Befragungen.

More information:
These and other results of the 2022 Census can be accessed at www.zensus2022.de. In the press section, you can find current information for the press, press releases, contacts, press photos and further downloads relating to the 2022 Census.

In addition, the website provides:

• Regional tables for download (in EXCEL format, including machine-readable tables). The regional tables contain data for regional levels - Germany, Länder, administrative regions, urban districts/towns not attached to an administrative district/rural districts, associations of municipalities, and municipalities. They cover the following five subject areas:
  1. Population figures
  2. Demographics
  3. Census of buildings and housing
  4 .Education and employment
  5. Households and families

• The Census Atlas, an interactive map which comprises results for the population, buildings and dwellings on the basis of grid cells (10 km, 1 km and 100 m).
  For the first four maps of the Census Atlas, tables to accompany the grid cells are available for download (in CSV format; 10 km, 1 km and 100 m grid). The topics are:
  1. Population
  2. Type of heating
  3. Energy source used for heating
  4. Net rent exclusive of heating expenses per square metre
  More maps and data sets at grid cell level will follow.
• Podcasts, videos and animations with background information (for example about the benefits of the data) 

From approximately September 2024 onwards, the portfolio will be supplemented by the Census Results Portal. This portal provides low-threshold access and mainly features visual presentations for the various subject areas of the census at municipality level.

Links to all applications (Census Atlas, Census Database and Census Results Portal) will be provided at www.zensus2022.de once they are available. We will also notify all subscribers to our Census Newsletter about further additions to our website. You can register for the newsletter on our press page. At x.com/Zensus2022 we will also keep you abreast of our latest releases. 

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For further information:
Press office, Tel: +49 611 75 3444 (service number)
www.zensus2022.de/contact