Germany’s Reunification and Migration Background Among Young Adults

The Federal Statistics Office in Berlin (Destatis) has released a significant demographic report regarding individuals born in 1990, the year of Germany’s reunification.

The report indicates that approximately 1.1 million people were born in that year, representing about 1.4% of the current German population. Notably, many of those born in 1990 come from immigrant backgrounds, meaning they are either immigrants themselves or have at least one parent who was born abroad.

According to Destatis, around 36% of the current 35-year-olds in Germany have immigration backgrounds. Interestingly, about 80% of these individuals immigrated to Germany after the reunification.

When we look at the broader picture, around 26% of Germany’s entire population is said to have immigrant backgrounds, which suggests that younger generations are more likely to be immigrants than older ones.

This analysis focuses on those born in 1990, many of whom may have actually been born overseas. A significant influx of people into Germany was witnessed during the 2015 European immigration crisis, which was largely influenced by the previous Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to open the borders for migrants arriving in Europe.

Merkel maintains that the transformation of Germany through migration is necessary, although public opinion seems somewhat skeptical. A recent survey highlighted that just 21% of Germans felt the country managed the influx of migrants well, while 41% disagreed, and 37% believed Germany was failing to handle the situation entirely.

In response to declining birth rates, various governments in Berlin have emphasized the economic necessity of mass immigration to bolster the job market. However, skepticism over these claims is growing. Recent statistics from the Federal Employment Agency have shown that about 33% of the long-term unemployed individuals in Germany are immigrants, amounting to over 317,000 people. It’s worth noting that this figure doesn’t account for migrants who have obtained German citizenship, so the real number might be even higher.

Migration has also brought significant social challenges, particularly highlighted by a series of terrorist attacks attributed to migrants over the past year in places like Mannheim, Solingen, Magdeburg, Aschaffenburg, and Munich.