Overview
- The 2025 Destatis data show about 290,000 Germans emigrated that year, producing a net loss of roughly 100,000 people concentrated among 18–45‑year‑olds.
- Most movers stay in Europe, with the largest German communities in Switzerland (≈330,000) and Austria (≈239,000) while Spain hosts about 132,000 Germans and a high share of retirees.
- Younger adults cite schooling and better job prospects as drivers of migration to German‑language neighbors, while retirees point to climate and lifestyle for moves to Spain.
- A DeZIM survey finds roughly one in five Germans has considered leaving, and officials note that lower asylum arrivals have become part of the political discussion around the new figures.
- Despite continuing net inflows from abroad, Germany’s long-term birth deficit since 1972 combined with rising emigration means recent arrivals no longer fully offset population and workforce declines.