Number of foreigners in Germany 2021, by residency status

Of the foreign population living in Germany, most had no residency status, as they did not need one based on freedom of movement defined by EU laws. The next largest groups had either a limited or an unlimited residency permit.

Foreigners in Germany

Foreigner status is defined by the German constitution in Article 116. Put plainly, foreigners are those who are not German. These include stateless persons and those with unclear citizenship, as well as the population group with a migration background. Individuals with a migration background can either have immigrated into Germany or been born in the country to at least one parent who was born a foreigner. When looking at foreigner numbers in Germany based on country of origin, the most represented countries are Turkey, Poland and Syria.

Migration background

More detailed demographics provide insight into the structure of migration backgrounds in the German population. The share of the population with a migration background in Germany recently amounted to almost 27 percent. When broken down by gender, the number of men with a migration background eclipsed that of women as of 2020.