Germany granted citizenship to a record 291 955 people last year, 46% more than in 2023, most of them Syrians, according to data released by the Federal Statistical Office on Tuesday, the 10th of June, reports Reuters.
Changes to the citizenship law contributed to the increase, the office said. Last June, Germany reduced the time it takes to naturalise or acquire German citizenship from eight to five years, and even to three years in special cases.
Syrians who arrived in Germany as refugees in 2015 and 2016, when former Chancellor Angela Merkel allowed the entry of thousands fleeing war in the Middle East, could become German citizens in 2024.
As a result, they made up the largest group of new citizens – 28% of all naturalised citizens, or 83 150 people, an increase of 10.1%. After Syrians, the next largest groups were Turks (8%), Iraqis (5%), Russians (4%) and Afghans (3%).
Russians saw the largest percentage increase in the number of naturalised citizens, from 1 995 in 2023 to 12 980 in 2024. The number of Turks acquiring German citizenship more than doubled to 22 525.
The new nationality law allows individuals to retain their nationality of origin while acquiring German citizenship.
However, Germany’s new conservative-social-democratic coalition government plans to abolish some of the new naturalisation measures and to reinstate the minimum five-year waiting period for citizenship.
The conservatives argue that citizenship should be granted after the integration period is over and fear that a shorter waiting period to become a German citizen could lead to increased migration and public discontent.
In 2024, Germany granted citizenship to a record number of people, mainly Syrians
