Overview
- Official data from the Federal Statistical Office show about 288,579 German citizens left the country in 2025, roughly 18,600 more than in 2024.
- Switzerland received the largest share of those departures with 22,730 Germans relocating there and Austria, Spain and the United States also ranking high on the list of destinations.
- Reports and surveys indicate many movers are under 40 and well educated, while a poll by the German Center for Integration and Migration Research finds about one in five Germans say they have considered emigrating.
- Coverage from destination countries includes instances of political pushback, most notably comments from an SVP politician in Switzerland expressing hostility to incoming Germans.
- Leaving can be costly and complex because German exit rules such as the Wegzugssteuer and Entstrickungssteuer tax unrealized business gains and can hit business owners and the self-employed, and EU freedom-of-movement rules still require administrative steps for long-term moves.