Some immigrants are highly educated and professionally successful, while others did not even finish school. However, experts are clear that without further immigration, the population of the Federal Republic will sharply decline in the coming years.
Of the 80.89 million residents of Germany, almost 16.4 million people, or practically one in five, now have what is called a migration background. Statisticians classify as such people 'all foreigners permanently residing in the country, foreigners who have acquired German citizenship, those who entered the territory of today's Germany as ethnic Germans after 1949, as well as German citizens with at least one foreign parent.' As 'Russkaya Germaniya' notes, 56% of this population group have a German 'Ausweis'.
Furthermore, the Federal Statistical Office separately identifies so-called classic immigrants, i.e. people with foreign roots. Their number rose to 10.9 million in 2014, reaching record levels. Compared to 2011, this figure increased by almost one million people (plus 10.6%). At the same time, the number of native Germans fell by 885,000 (minus 1.4%) to 64.5 million.
Particularly notable was the increase in immigration to Germany from European Union countries: 620,000 (plus 18.3%). The largest number of new residents of the Federal Republic came from Poland, Romania, Italy, Bulgaria and Hungary. Among third countries, the most moved to Germany were Chinese, Syrians, and people from India.
Interestingly, the educational level of foreigners who entered Germany after 2011 is much higher than that of those who moved to the country before 1990. Among the former, 43.7% have a higher education, while among old immigrants, only 18%. However, it is also worth noting that 27.8% of people who moved to Germany since 2011 have no vocational education, and 8% of them did not even finish secondary school.
Statisticians also tried to determine the motives of people immigrating to Germany. Previously, the main reason for such a move was family reunification (37%), while another 18% cited professional reasons. After the global financial crisis of 2008, the reasons for immigration clearly shifted towards seeking employment in Germany (28%), with 57% of this category of people starting work immediately upon arrival in Germany.