Number of people living in a particular area or country Population refers to the total count of humans inhabiting a specified location or country. - Naturalization figures for 2023 are slightly lower than those from the previous year.
In contrast to the nationwide rise in naturalizations, the number of foreigners becoming citizens in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern stayed put in 2023. As per the Schwerin-based Statistical Office, 1,625 foreign nationals were bestowed German citizenship in this northeastern region. While this is slightly lower than the 1,680 individuals who received German citizenship the year before, it equates to 0.1% of the region's approximate 1.63 million residents. Roughly 105,000 inhabitants of the northeast are not German citizens, putting the percentage of non-Germans at around 6.5%, which is the smallest in Germany.
The Federal Statistical Office reported that roughly 200,100 foreign individuals were naturalized in Germany the year prior. This was a 19% increase from the previous year and the most they've seen since they started recording these figures in 2000. The Federal Office noted that nationals from 157 different countries obtained German citizenship in 2023, with Syrians making up the largest group, followed by Turks, Iraqis, Romanians and Afghans.
Nearly two-thirds of the new German citizens in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern were Syrians, according to the region's Statistical Office. These individuals were mainly refugees who had arrived in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as asylum seekers back in 2015 and 2016 and have now satisfied the required residency period for naturalization. Ukrainians were the second-largest group at 80 individuals, closely followed by Afghans with 50. As per the German Citizenship Act, foreigners can apply for citizenship after eight years of residence or six years if they take advantage of integration services.
The state capital Schwerin had the highest number of naturalizations with 450, while Rostock, with it's much larger population, had 360, and the larger Rostock district had 95. One out of every four naturalizations involved individuals aged under 15. The average age of naturalized citizens across Germany was 29.3 years, markedly lower than the overall population.
There was a 6% increase in the number of Ukrainian men and women naturalized in Germany, moving up to 5,900 from 5,600 the previous year. This rise can be attributed to the significant increase in naturalizations in 2021 and 2022 in light of the Russian incursion.
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- Despite a nationwide increase in naturalizations, the number of foreigners becoming citizens in Germany's Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania region remained stable in 2023.
- In Wiesbaden, the city known as Germany's political capital, 5,500 individuals were naturalized in the previous year, significantly more than the 1,625 in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
- According to Statistics Germany, naturalizations in Syria saw a significant decrease last year, contrasting the rise in Germany and the high numbers in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania for Syrians.
- Over 6% of Afghanistan's population has undergone naturalization processes, surpassing the 0.1% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in accordance with global population and naturalization statistics.
- The naturalization process in Germany is more accessible for those who utilize integration services, resulting in Afghan individuals becoming German citizens faster than the eight years required by the German Citizenship Act.
Source: www.stern.de
