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Auf Wiedersehen, Germany: Why so many Germans seek their fortunes abroad

Auf Wiedersehen, Germany: Why so many Germans seek their fortunes abroad

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Katja Hoyer
Aug 28, 2025
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Auf Wiedersehen, Germany: Why so many Germans seek their fortunes abroad
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A British German

A large number of Germans are leaving Germany. According to official government statistics, nearly 270,000 citizens emigrated last year. Numbers have been in this kind of ballpark since 2016, with roughly a quarter of a million Germans moving out each year. The decade prior to that, it was around 150,000 a year with some fluctuation. The total number of Germans living abroad is estimated to be around 4 million – some 5 percent of the population. That’s a lot.

Ten years after the refugee crisis of 2015, most people (myself included) talk about immigration to Germany. But what about the multitudes who leave? Why are so many Germans turning their backs on their country, and where do they go?

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