Most Germans live in these European countries
For many Germans, Europe is not just an ideal home. They use the freedom of establishment and are resident in another country on the continent. Love or better job prospects are often the reason for the move. Pensioners are attracted by lower living costs and nice weather to emigrate. The travel restrictions in the Corona crisis often hit these Germans particularly hard. They have either been cut off from their families indefinitely or have frequently returned to their original homeland due to the uncertain situation.
Around 1.2 million Germans lived abroad in Europe in 2019, as the Federal Statistical Office announced on Europe Day in May. They show clear preferences when choosing their new home country. Half of them were spread over only three countries. Every fourth expat German has chosen the leader of the ranking list alone.
Most Germans live in these European countries:
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# 10 Denmark
Neighboring countries are naturally a popular destination for Germans wishing to emigrate. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 25,541 citizens were resident in Denmark in 2019. This meant tenth place in the European ranking and was almost exactly twice the value of 1999.
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# 9 Sweden
Sweden came in ninth with 29,213 Germans. Here, too, the number has roughly doubled over the past 20 years.
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# 8 Italy
The high quality of life in Italy is a good reason to emigrate. The poor economic situation and language barrier may contribute to the fact that Italy has hardly gained popularity as an emigration destination. It ranked eighth in 2019 with 37,144 Germans. In 1999 the statisticians counted 35,603 Germans.
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# 7 Belgium
39,477 Germans were resident in Belgium in 2019 (1999: 34,044). That was just ahead of Italy for seventh place.
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# 6 Netherlands
The Netherlands came sixth ahead of Belgium. 77,092 Germans have recently settled in the neighboring country. In 1999 there were 54,110 Germans.
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# 5 France
France’s call is a bit louder – and it is not far to cross the Rhine bridge at Kehl. 85,231 Germans residing in France helped the country to fifth place in the European ranking. However, their number decreased compared to the previous year. In 2018, 90,101 Germans still lived in France.
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# 4 Spain
Spain is the first country in the ranking to cross the 100,000 German mark. The statistical authority Eurostat counted 138,321 Germans residing in Spain last year (2018: 138,777). The holiday island of Mallorca should play a decisive role in the placement. However, the southern European country has lost its luster for German emigrants. Until 2012, it was the second most popular country in Europe, as the Federal Statistical Office announced.
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# 3 Great Britain
In 2019, 142,368 Germans were resident in the United Kingdom. That was about twice as much as 20 years ago. In the year of Brexit, however, the number of Germans dropped significantly by nine percent or around 142,000 people. One of the main reasons was the unclear residence status for EU citizens. However, some Germans have simply become British. In 2018, around 4,800 German citizens acquired British citizenship.
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# 2 Austria
Austria, on the other hand, has become a more popular destination for German emigrants. In 2019, their number rose by around three percent to 192,426. The leader in the ranking also benefits from the proximity and the lack of a language barrier.
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# 1 Switzerland
Switzerland is the first choice for German emigrants in Europe. 306,188 of them were resident in the Alpine Republic in 2019, possibly also for tax reasons. “The number of Germans there has been increasing for years, compared to 2018 the growth was 0.5 percent or around 1,600 people,” said the Federal Statistical Office. In 1999, only 98,934 Germans had lived in Switzerland.
