Syrians top Germany’s citizenship list for fifth straight year
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Syrians remained the largest group to obtain German citizenship in 2025 for the fifth consecutive year, according to figures released on Wednesday by Germany’s Federal Statistics Office.
A total of 332,500 people were granted German citizenship in 2025, a record high and a 14 percent increase compared to 2024. Syrians accounted for one in five new citizens, maintaining their position as the largest nationality among those naturalized.
Despite leading the list, the number of Syrians receiving German citizenship fell by 21 percent compared to the previous year.
German authorities attributed earlier high naturalization figures to Syrians who arrived as refugees during the 2015 and 2016 migration wave becoming eligible for citizenship in recent years.
The Federal Statistics Office said the overall increase in naturalizations was driven by citizenship reforms introduced in June 2024. The changes reduced the required period of residence from eight years to five and allowed applicants to retain dual citizenship.
Turkish nationals ranked second among new German citizens, accounting for 34,100 naturalizations, or 10 percent of the total. Russians followed with 19,700 new citizens, representing 6 percent.
The sharpest increases compared to 2024 were recorded among Bosnians, whose naturalizations rose by 126 percent to 8,800 people. The number of U.S. citizens obtaining German nationality doubled to 6,600, while naturalizations of Albanians increased by 97 percent to 6,100.
Germany also reported a 61 percent rise in citizenship restorations under laws aimed at compensating victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants. About 12,000 people regained German citizenship through these measures in 2025.
Germany hosts the largest Syrian refugee population in Europe, with hundreds of thousands of Syrians having sought refuge in the country since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in 2011.