A majority of these individuals hail from Syria. - Record-breaking naturalizations taking place
Last year in Germany, a record-breaking 200,100 individuals were granted German citizenship - the highest number since 2000. This represented a growth of over 31,000 people, or 19% compared to the previous year. The German Federal Statistical Office shared this information on Tuesday morning.
The majority of these new citizens had originally hailed from Syria, with almost 38% (75,500 people) holding Syrian citizenship before their naturalization. This group witnessed an increase of 27,100 individuals in just one year, translating to a remarkable 56% rise.
Men Outnumber Women
Interestingly, 64% of these newly minted citizens were male, having lived in Germany for an average of close to seven years and with an average age of 24.5 years. This age was significantly lower than the average for all new citizens at 29.3 years and drastically lower than the overall population average of 44.6 years.
Besides Syria, the next five most common countries of origin among these individuals were Turkey, Iraq, Romania, and Afghanistan. These countries accounted for 56% of the total number of naturalizations. The Turkish and Iranian populations saw 10,700 people become German citizens each. The number of Iraqi citizens gaining German passports increased by 3,900, representing a 57% jump. On the other hand, the number of Turkish citizens decreased by 3,500, or -25%.
The number of Ukrainians receiving German passports only increased by 300, equating to a 6% change, and represented just 3% of all naturalizations.
The data presented in this report are from the previous citizenship law, which requires eight years of continuous residency in Germany for naturalization. From June onward, the simplified naturalization law will take effect, making it possible to attain a German passport after five years in certain scenarios or even three years in certain circumstances.
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Source: symclub.org
