Due to large migration, Germany’s population registered its biggest increase in more than 20 years in 2015.
1.1 million migrants arrived in Germany last year with the aim of seeking asylum, with just under 480,000 applying. Asylum seekers have faced delays in making their applications.
All of Germany’s 16 regions saw their populations increase. Asylum seekers are spread around the country based on each state’s population and tax revenues.
At the end of 2015 there were 8.7 million foreign nationals living in Germany, an increase of 14.7 percent compared with the previous year, with foreigners making up 10.5 percent of the population.
More than a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and beyond flocked to Germany due to its strong economy, relatively liberal asylum laws and generous system of benefits.
Net migration reached a record high of 1,139,000, more than doubling from 2014.
With 188,000 more people having died in Germany in 2015 than were born, overall the population rose by 978,000 to 82.2 million, its strongest rise since 1992.