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Foreign residents in the German states

Germany

Foreign residents, 31 Dec 2025
14,070,225
Data as at 31 Dec 2025
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States

Districts and district-free cities, 31 December 2025.

Foreign residents by district
  1. North Rhine-Westphalia3,265,690
  2. Bavaria2,386,525
  3. Baden-Württemberg2,192,380
  4. Hesse1,360,875
  5. Lower Saxony1,084,595
  6. Berlin994,590
  7. Rhineland-Palatinate626,340
  8. Hamburg387,845
  9. Saxony371,050
  10. Schleswig-Holstein352,565
  11. Brandenburg213,330
  12. Saxony-Anhalt192,155
  13. Thuringia187,990
  14. Saarland164,395
  15. Bremen164,135
  16. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania125,710
StateForeign residentsEmploymentHumanitarian
North Rhine-Westphalia3,265,69081,910609,700
Bavaria2,386,52596,580283,800
Baden-Württemberg2,192,38073,325263,320
Hesse1,360,87542,310206,010
Lower Saxony1,084,59528,240248,980
Berlin994,59063,435143,655
Rhineland-Palatinate626,34016,935110,395
Hamburg387,84514,85061,010
Saxony371,05012,870101,105
Schleswig-Holstein352,5659,30592,655
Brandenburg213,3307,33055,385
Saxony-Anhalt192,1556,01059,735
Thuringia187,9906,16556,985
Saarland164,3952,81541,820
Bremen164,1354,88538,080
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania125,7103,81038,720
Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), foreign population from the Central Register of Foreigners, 31 December 2025 (reproduction permitted with source)Data as at 31 Dec 2025

Residence status

Foreign residents on 31 December 2025 by residence status in the Central Register of Foreigners. Residence titles are grouped by purpose; EU citizens and their families hold rights under the Free Movement Act.

Foreign residents by residence status
  1. EU free movement5,225,790
  2. Permanent residence title2,562,725
  3. International law, humanitarian or political reasons2,411,335
  4. Family reasons1,013,875
  5. Application for a residence title pending953,000
  6. Neither tolerated nor permitted534,605
  7. Employment470,805
  8. Education and training287,860
  9. Permission to reside during the asylum procedure278,595
  10. Tolerated stay (Duldung)189,680
  11. Special residence rights and national visas134,685
  12. Exempt from the permit requirement7,280
Residence statusResidentsShare
EU free movement5,225,79037.1%
Permanent residence title2,562,72518.2%
Employment470,8053.3%
Education and training287,8602.0%
Family reasons1,013,8757.2%
International law, humanitarian or political reasons2,411,33517.1%
Special residence rights and national visas134,6851.0%
Application for a residence title pending953,0006.8%
Tolerated stay (Duldung)189,6801.3%
Permission to reside during the asylum procedure278,5952.0%
Neither tolerated nor permitted534,6053.8%
Exempt from the permit requirement7,2800.1%
Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), foreign population from the Central Register of Foreigners, 31 December 2025 (reproduction permitted with source)Data as at 31 Dec 2025

Official data, not advice. Visa Atlas publishes figures from government registers and statistics. It does not assess eligibility or give immigration advice; for advice, consult a regulated adviser. Read more