Germany international emigration of foreign nationals
Germany international emigration of foreign nationals stood at 956,363 persons in 2025, according to Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) and Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF). It is one of the indicators in the International migration table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 1991 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the International migration table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign nationals | |||||||||||
| Emigration | 956,363 | 994,023 | 1,004,510 | 935,516 | 746,474 | 746,212 | 961,258 | 923,581 | 885,460 | 1,083,767 | |
| Net international migration | 331,692 | 511,062 | 736,643 | 1,545,503 | 393,342 | 248,607 | 384,685 | 460,000 | 498,558 | 635,308 |
Understanding germany international emigration of foreign nationals
Emigration of foreign citizens captures individuals without German nationality who formally notify local registry offices of their departure to another country. This scope includes foreign workers concluding employment, international students departing after studies, and other foreign residents returning to their home countries or relocating elsewhere. It excludes departing German citizens, relocations between German municipalities, and deportations that occur without standard municipal deregistration. Within the nationality breakdown, this series provides the departure counterpart to foreign immigration, isolating non-citizen outflows from the total emigration figure.
Departure reporting among foreign citizens is subject to notable recording lags, as temporary workers and international students often vacate residences without completing official departure notices. Local authorities periodically conduct administrative deregistrations when official mail is returned as undeliverable, which can cause departures from earlier years to be recorded within a single statistical reporting period. Year-on-year comparisons serve as the standard analytical approach, though users must distinguish between genuine departure trends and the effects of municipal register audits. Analysts should also remember that high emigration often correlates naturally with high preceding foreign immigration due to transient study and labor stays.
Frequently asked questions
- Are foreign nationals who leave Germany permanently required to deregister?
- Yes, all foreign residents vacating their domestic domicile to move abroad are legally obligated to deregister with local municipal authorities.
- How do administrative register cleanups influence this emigration series?
- When municipalities cancel inactive registrations for individuals who left without notification, those cases are recorded as departures in the year of administrative action.
- How does this series relate to net migration of foreign nationals?
- Subtracting this emigration series from foreign immigration yields the net international migration figure for foreign nationals.