Well, over half a million people became German citizens in a five-year period, with nearly a quarter of them coming from Syria and Turkiye alone.
According to Statista, the total number of naturalisation rates between 2018 and 2022 has reached 651,495, with these new Germans coming from 169 countries.
In detail, Syrians and Turks accounted for 23.3 per cent of all granted citizenship for this period or 151,995, while more than half of the countries of origin for new Germans are located in Europe.
3 Out of 10 Nationalities to Obtain German Citizenship Are EU Citizens
British nationals follow the third-largest nationality group that became German citizens, as over 33,000 obtained new citizenship.
Ranking fourth and fifth, Romania and Poland were the countries of origin for almost 60,000 people who were naturalised since 2018, while Italy is listed as seventh, with 22,155 Italians opting for German citizenship during the same period.
This means that more than 12 per cent of the new German citizens were from other EU countries, representing 80,435 people in total.
The list of top ten nationality groups that obtained German citizenship is completed, with Iraq (24,730) ranking sixth, followed by Iran (19,660), Kosovo (17,990) and Ukraine (16,455), ranking eighth, ninth and tenth, respectively.
During the period under review, there were 11,245 former Moroccans, 8,940 came from Vietnam, 7,970 were born as Americans, 6,585 previously had a Brazilian passport, and 455 came from the continent of Australia.
Naturalisations up by 50.2% Since 2018
A total of 56,435 people became German citizens between 2018 and 2022, showing an increase of 50.2 per cent.
Naturalisation rates have been gradually increasing in this five-year period, with the highest increase being recorded between 2021 and 2022, at almost 29 per cent.
However, in 2020, the interest of third-country nationals becoming German citizens dropped by almost 15 per cent. This can be a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which all migration-related procedures were mainly decreasing.
On average, a total of 14,108 people became German citizens in this period, with the highest number of naturalised citizens being in 2022 (37,180), while the lowest was recorded between 2018 and 2019, with 16,565 naturalisations.
According to the current OECD Migration Outlook, around 16 per cent of the German population, accounting for around one in six residents, are migrants, as the data for 2019 shows. This number can further grow, considering that 16 federal states have approved new citizenship rules that make it easier for non-German nationals to obtain citizenship.
Following the approval of 16 German federal states, foreigners are now allowed to hold dual citizenship, their original and the German one.
The new law can enable around 50,000 people who have Turkish roots to become German citizens, as the Turkish Community in Germany said. It is estimated that around 1.5 million nationals of Turkish origin live in Germany and have not acquired citizenship yet.
