Overview

• 291,955 foreigners acquired German citizenship in 2024, marking a 46 percent increase over the previous year.
• Syria was the largest country of origin, accounting for 28 percent of naturalizations, followed by Turkey (8 percent), Iraq (5 percent), Russia (4 percent) and Afghanistan (3 percent).
• Naturalizations of Russian nationals rose by 551 percent year-on-year, climbing from 1,995 in 2023 to 12,980 in 2024.
• About 7 percent of new citizens used a fast-track route that reduced the residency requirement to three years based on exceptional educational or professional achievements.
• The average residency before naturalization increased to 11.8 years, and the new government plans to end the three-year accelerated pathway.