Germans abroad: Switzerland is the most popular European emigration country

Austria has recently been particularly popular

In second place was Austria, where a particularly large number of Germans emigrated last year. According to the data, around 225,010 Germans lived in the neighboring country at the beginning of 2023. The increase compared to the previous year was 3.7 percent or 8,280 people, which was even higher than in Switzerland, it said. “What both countries have in common is that changing place of residence is made easier for Germans by their geographical proximity and the lack of language barriers,” the statisticians explained.

Spain was the first country outside of the German-speaking region to take third place in the list of the most popular emigration destinations for Germans in Europe. Around 125,790 German citizens were resident there at the beginning of last year. However, the numbers have fallen significantly, as the year before, according to the data, there were 142,630 Germans. This corresponds to a decrease of 11.8 percent, it was said.

German naturalizations in Switzerland at record high

And what about the naturalization of Germans in other countries? According to the Federal Office, Switzerland is also at the forefront there. Specifically, around 8,960 Germans took on Swiss citizenship in 2022 – that is 12.8 percent more than in the previous year and corresponds to a new record, as the statisticians explained.

In second place was Sweden, where almost 1,320 Germans were naturalized in 2022 (minus 2.5 percent). The number of naturalizations of Germans in France also fell slightly: from around 430 in 2021 to just under 420 in 2022.

dpa

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