MigrantoGerman Diaspora
4.3M Germans live abroad — 5% of the population of Germany
German diaspora by country
The top 3 countries are home to 44% of the diaspora
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| USA | 1137577 |
| Switzerland | 371816 |
| Turkey | 363563 |
| United Kingdom | 287772 |
| Austria | 268460 |
| Italy | 194597 |
| France | 189761 |
| Spain | 174637 |
| Netherlands | 125024 |
| Greece | 123912 |
| Canada | 118463 |
| Australia | 99593 |
| Poland | 86793 |
| Belgium | 79619 |
| Russia | 60040 |
| Sweden | 56910 |
| Denmark | 44855 |
| Hungary | 42037 |
| Portugal | 34724 |
| Thailand | 31844 |
| Norway | 31499 |
| Croatia | 30277 |
| Israel | 27015 |
| Luxembourg | 19730 |
| Romania | 18432 |
| Brazil | 18078 |
| Serbia | 17967 |
| Bulgaria | 17311 |
| New Zealand | 16172 |
| Ireland | 15484 |
| China | 12294 |
| Egypt | 11205 |
| Namibia | 10070 |
| South Africa | 9935 |
| Czech Republic | 9238 |
| Slovenia | 8709 |
| Uzbekistan | 8491 |
| Japan | 8181 |
| Finland | 8045 |
| Libya | 7931 |
| Mexico | 7151 |
| Slovakia | 6742 |
| Chile | 6408 |
| Malta | 5160 |
| Argentina | 4642 |
| Venezuela | 3786 |
| Iceland | 3243 |
| Cyprus | 2741 |
| Costa Rica | 2701 |
| Kazakhstan | 2608 |
| Estonia | 2554 |
| Bolivia | 2513 |
| Colombia | 2248 |
| Lithuania | 2202 |
| Uruguay | 2129 |
| Hong Kong | 2128 |
| Dominican Republic | 2090 |
| Liechtenstein | 2044 |
| Latvia | 1992 |
| Panama | 1951 |
| Paraguay | 1916 |
| Montenegro | 1867 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 1734 |
| Morocco | 1685 |
| Peru | 1680 |
| Tunisia | 1615 |
| Philippines | 1551 |
| India | 1366 |
| Taiwan | 1131 |
| Ukraine | 1114 |
| Ecuador | 1100 |
| Turkmenistan | 1023 |
| Tanzania | 934 |
| Senegal | 927 |
| Haiti | 916 |
| Algeria | 789 |
| Guatemala | 756 |
| Georgia | 647 |
| Republic of Congo | 571 |
| Sri Lanka | 566 |
| Armenia | 530 |
| Bosnia | 488 |
| Zambia | 452 |
| Moldova | 429 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 403 |
| Andorra | 387 |
| Cameroon | 377 |
| French Polynesia | 360 |
| Botswana | 355 |
| Bahamas | 326 |
| Nicaragua | 325 |
| Honduras | 302 |
| Maldives | 290 |
| Guadeloupe | 285 |
| El Salvador | 233 |
| Mongolia | 206 |
| Togo | 202 |
| Curaçao | 200 |
| Puerto Rico | 196 |
| Azerbaijan | 183 |
| Cayman Islands | 165 |
| Bermuda | 161 |
| Mauritius | 137 |
| Liberia | 133 |
| Tajikistan | 132 |
| Gabon | 93 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 88 |
| Seychelles | 86 |
| Belize | 84 |
| Cuba | 75 |
| British Virgin Islands | 73 |
| Cape Verde | 72 |
| Belarus | 63 |
| Greenland | 55 |
| Saint Lucia | 46 |
| Cambodia | 41 |
| North Macedonia | 41 |
| Faroe Islands | 34 |
| Samoa | 32 |
| Sierra Leone | 30 |
| Dominica | 30 |
| Bhutan | 28 |
| Guinea | 23 |
By region
55% of the diaspora lives in Europe
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Key facts
The German diaspora in numbers
Most Germans abroad live in the USA
26% of the diaspora lives in the USA, while the next country accounts for just 9%.
The map of the diaspora has changed since 1990
4 countries have entered the top 20 since 1990: Denmark, Hungary, Portugal. Denmark climbed from outside the top 20 to #17.
The diaspora is spread more widely than in 1990
The largest country's share fell from 38% to 26%.
The share of the diaspora living in North America has declined since 1990
42.5% of the diaspora lived in North America in 1990, compared with 29.2% today.
1 in 19 people born in Germany lives abroad
4.3M people born in Germany now live in other countries — 5.1% of a population of 83.5M.
German diaspora population over time
People living abroad, by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 3870620 |
| 1995 | 4825017 |
| 2000 | 4107120 |
| 2005 | 4078804 |
| 2010 | 4260810 |
| 2015 | 4207460 |
| 2020 | 4204441 |
| 2024 | 4297233 |
Largest communities over time
Germans living in the 5 largest countries, by year
| Year | USA | Switzerland | Turkey | United Kingdom | Austria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1465599 | 234879 | 173893 | 214905 | 82469 |
| 1995 | 2261086 | 250441 | 222235 | 237328 | 106088 |
| 2000 | 1369572 | 268635 | 270576 | 261961 | 134862 |
| 2005 | 1173821 | 300781 | 268753 | 279818 | 159255 |
| 2010 | 1198784 | 323003 | 263659 | 297427 | 193169 |
| 2015 | 1179764 | 349435 | 261210 | 295863 | 217489 |
| 2020 | 1147641 | 359069 | 304600 | 291380 | 241266 |
| 2024 | 1137577 | 371816 | 363563 | 287772 | 268460 |
Fastest-changing communities
How the number of Germans in each country has changed since the selected year
Germans among immigrants in other countries
Where Germans make up the largest share of a country's immigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many Germans live outside Germany?
Around 4.3M Germans live abroad, the world's #17 largest diaspora.
Where do most Germans abroad live?
Most Germans live in USA, Switzerland and Turkey — these three countries account for about 44% of all Germans living abroad.
Which country has the largest German population outside Germany?
USA is home to the largest German community abroad — 1.1M people, about 26% of all Germans living abroad.
What share of the population of Germany lives abroad?
About 5% of the population of Germany lives abroad — that's 4.3M out of a total population of 83.5M.
Is the German diaspora growing?
Barely — over the past decade, the number of Germans living abroad has changed from 4.2M to 4.3M, about 2%.
Where does the data on the German diaspora come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born in Germany who now live in other countries. Descendants of emigrants born abroad are not included.
Where to live?
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Living in Germany
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