German Citizenship Statistics: Naturalisations in Numbers
How many people become German each year, where they come from and which federal states naturalise the most. All figures are official results of the Federal Statistical Office.
How many people get German citizenship each year?
333,343 people were naturalised in Germany in 2025. That is the highest number since the statistics began in 2000 and 14% more than in 2024 (292,020). The largest groups were people from Syria (65,775), Türkiye (34,185) and the Russian Federation (19,736). On average, new citizens had lived in Germany for 12.4 years and were 31.8 years old. North Rhine-Westphalia naturalised the most people (76,156), and Berlin had the highest rate relative to its foreign population.
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Naturalisations in Germany per Year, 2000 to 2025
After two decades between about 95,000 and 190,000 a year, naturalisations have risen every year since 2021 and reached a record 333,343 in 2025.
Source: Destatis: naturalisations 2000 to 2025 · Data years 2000 to 2025
Where New German Citizens Came From in 2025
One in five people naturalised in 2025 was Syrian. Türkiye was the largest group every year from 2000 to 2020.
- Syria65,775
- Türkiye34,185
- Russian Federation19,736
- Iraq13,792
- Afghanistan10,883
- Ukraine10,582
- Iran10,125
- Kosovo9,710
- Bosnia and Herzegovina8,841
- Romania8,302
Source: Destatis: naturalisations by nationality 2025 · Data year 2025, final results published 21 August 2026
Naturalisations by Federal State in 2025
North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria together account for four in ten naturalisations. Berlin rose from 21,810 in 2024 to 39,041.
- North Rhine-Westphalia76,156
- Bavaria59,573
- Baden-Württemberg39,790
- Berlin39,041
- Lower Saxony28,153
- Hesse20,036
- Rhineland-Palatinate14,311
- Hamburg11,504
- Schleswig-Holstein8,573
- Saxony5,195
- Brandenburg4,677
- Thuringia3,683
- Bremen3,504
- Saxony-Anhalt2,915
- Saarland2,711
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania2,008
Source: Destatis: naturalisations by federal state 2025 · Data year 2025, final results published 21 August 2026
Naturalisations per Year: The Figures
The comparable series starts in 2000. Figures for 2018 to 2024 are rounded to multiples of five. The 2020 figure is missing about 6,800 cases from North Rhine-Westphalia.
| Year | Naturalisations |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 333,343 |
| 2024 | 292,020 |
| 2023 | 200,095 |
| 2022 | 168,775 |
| 2021 | 131,595 |
| 2020 | 109,880 |
| 2019 | 128,905 |
| 2018 | 112,340 |
| 2017 | 112,211 |
| 2016 | 110,383 |
| 2015 | 107,317 |
| 2014 | 108,422 |
| 2013 | 112,353 |
| 2012 | 112,348 |
| 2011 | 106,897 |
| 2010 | 101,570 |
| 2009 | 96,122 |
| 2008 | 94,474 |
| 2007 | 113,030 |
| 2006 | 124,566 |
| 2005 | 117,241 |
| 2004 | 127,153 |
| 2003 | 140,731 |
| 2002 | 154,547 |
| 2001 | 178,098 |
| 2000 | 186,672 |
Source: Destatis: naturalisations 2000 to 2025 · Data years 2000 to 2025
Top 15 Previous Nationalities in 2025
5,930 of the 6,734 Israeli and 2,890 of the 6,583 US naturalisations were restitution cases for people persecuted by the Nazi regime and their descendants, mostly from abroad.
| Previous nationality | Naturalisations | Average years in Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Syria | 65,775 | 8.0 |
| Türkiye | 34,185 | 24.1 |
| Russian Federation | 19,736 | 14.1 |
| Iraq | 13,792 | 9.0 |
| Afghanistan | 10,883 | 9.2 |
| Ukraine | 10,582 | 11.7 |
| Iran | 10,125 | 8.2 |
| Kosovo | 9,710 | 13.2 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 8,841 | 15.1 |
| Romania | 8,302 | 9.6 |
| Serbia | 6,753 | 17.1 |
| Israel | 6,734 | Not comparable |
| United States | 6,583 | Not comparable |
| India | 6,508 | 8.1 |
| Poland | 6,292 | 14.1 |
Source: Destatis: Statistischer Bericht Einbürgerungen 2025 · Data year 2025, final results published 21 August 2026
Federal States: Numbers and Naturalisation Rate
The naturalisation rate relates naturalisations to the foreign population living in the state at the end of the previous year.
| Federal state | 2025 | 2024 | Naturalisation rate 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 76,156 | 68,705 | 2.67% |
| Bavaria | 59,573 | 54,520 | 2.87% |
| Baden-Württemberg | 39,790 | 37,805 | 1.94% |
| Berlin | 39,041 | 21,810 | 4.71% |
| Lower Saxony | 28,153 | 23,380 | 3.02% |
| Hesse | 20,036 | 24,915 | 1.73% |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | 14,311 | 12,265 | 2.49% |
| Hamburg | 11,504 | 9,600 | 3.20% |
| Schleswig-Holstein | 8,573 | 8,590 | 2.81% |
| Saxony | 5,195 | 4,410 | 1.58% |
| Brandenburg | 4,677 | 3,770 | 2.54% |
| Thuringia | 3,683 | 2,640 | 2.11% |
| Bremen | 3,504 | 4,640 | 2.18% |
| Saxony-Anhalt | 2,915 | 2,815 | 1.79% |
| Saarland | 2,711 | 2,785 | 1.77% |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 2,008 | 1,840 | 2.02% |
| Germany | 333,343 | 292,020 | 2.60% |
Source: Destatis: Statistischer Bericht Einbürgerungen 2025 · Data year 2025, final results published 21 August 2026
Who Was Naturalised in 2025
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Average time in Germany | 12.4 years |
| Average age | 31.8 years |
| Under 20 years old | 81,329 |
| 20 to 44 years old | 185,512 |
| 45 to 64 years old | 58,339 |
| 65 and older | 8,165 |
| Men | 170,528 |
| Women | 162,815 |
| Standard route after five years (§10 Abs. 1 StAG) | 241,526 |
| Spouses and children naturalised with the applicant (§10 Abs. 2 StAG) | 61,679 |
| Spouses of Germans (§9 StAG) | 4,610 |
| Shortened residence, abolished in October 2025 (§10 Abs. 3 StAG) | 1,490 |
Source: Destatis: Statistischer Bericht Einbürgerungen 2025 · Data year 2025, final results published 21 August 2026
How Procedures Ended in 2025
372,127 procedures were completed in 2025 and 469,597 applications were filed. The two figures cover different applications and cannot be set against each other.
| Outcome | Procedures | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Naturalisation | 333,087 | 89.5% |
| Rejection | 11,970 | 3.2% |
| Withdrawn by the applicant | 17,525 | 4.7% |
| Other, such as moving abroad | 9,542 | 2.6% |
Source: Destatis: Statistischer Bericht Einbürgerungen 2025 · Data year 2025, final results published 21 August 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
333,343, according to the final results of the Federal Statistical Office. That is 14% more than in 2024 and the highest number since the statistics began in 2000.
Syrian citizens have been the largest group every year since 2021, with 65,775 naturalisations in 2025. Türkiye followed with 34,185 and the Russian Federation with 19,736. From 2000 to 2020, Türkiye was first every year.
12.4 years on average in 2025. It differs widely by origin: 8.0 years for Syrians, 8.1 for Indians and 24.1 for Turkish citizens.
Of the 372,127 procedures completed in 2025, 3.2% ended in a rejection and 89.5% in naturalisation. Another 4.7% were withdrawn by the applicant. These shares describe completed procedures, not the applications filed in the same year.
North Rhine-Westphalia, with 76,156 naturalisations in 2025, ahead of Bavaria with 59,573. Measured against the foreign population, Berlin had the highest naturalisation rate at 4.71%, compared with 2.60% for Germany as a whole.
No figure has been published for 2024 or 2025. The last published figure is for 2023, when 80.9% kept their previous nationality. Since 27 June 2024, German law no longer requires you to give it up.
1,490 people were naturalised with a shortened residence period in 2025, under 1% of all naturalisations. The route was abolished on 30 October 2025.
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- Destatis: naturalisations and naturalisation rate, 2000 to 2025
- Destatis: Statistischer Bericht Einbürgerungen 2025 (XLSX)
- Destatis: naturalisations by federal state 2025
- Destatis: naturalisations by nationality 2025
- Destatis: press release no. 186 of 3 June 2026
- Destatis: final results for 2025
- Bundestag printed paper 21/2838: naturalisations 2000 to 2024