According to the Federal Statistical Office, at the end of 2008 there were 6.73 million people with foreign citizenship in the country. That is 0.3% less than the previous year. The number of Turkish citizens decreased most significantly (by 1.5% or 25,000), currently amounting to 1.69 million in Germany. Experts from the statistical office attribute this decline to the fact that many of them acquired German citizenship.
At the same time, as Deutsche Welle notes, among foreigners living in Germany, Turkish citizens are the largest group – 25%. They are followed by Italian (8%) and Polish citizens (6%).
Among foreigners living in Germany, the majority are Europeans (5.36 million or 80% of the total). Of these, 2.36 million are citizens of the European Union.
Foreign citizens registered in Germany at the end of 2008 have been living in the country for an average of 18.2 years. And 20% of them (1.33 million people) were born in Germany.