Almost a million people live in Germany Syrian. How are they integrated, where do they live and what would their return to Syria mean for Germany after the fall of Assad?
Millions of Syrians have fled since the start of the country's civil war after 2011. Most have remained in Syria as displaced persons or sought refuge in neighboring countries such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. When it comes to Europe, especially many refugees from Syria were received by Germany.
How many Syrians live in Germany?
According to data from the Federal Statistical Office, around 2023 Syrians lived in Germany at the end of 973.000. Of that number, an estimated 712.000 are in the status of people seeking protection. That number includes asylum seekers whose procedures are ongoing, rejected asylum seekers, as well as those enjoying temporary protection for humanitarian reasons.
A significant part of those people came during the wave of refugees in 2015, when more than 320.000 Syrians sought protection in Germany. Many of them now have a permanent residence permit, and a smaller number are in the so-called "Duldunga" status. This means that, although their stay is temporarily allowed, their legal situation remains uncertain. This group of people often has limited access to opportunities for work and education, ie job training.
Stopped decision-making on asylum requests
In 2024, Syria was again the most important country of origin for asylum seekers in Germany. By November of this year, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Statistics, Syrians submitted almost 75.000 requests for asylum, followed by Afghanistan with 34.300 and Turkey with around 29.600 requests.
However, on December 9, the day after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) decided to immediately stop the decision-making process on the asylum applications of Syrian citizens. According to the authorities, 47.270 asylum seekers from Syria were affected, of which 46.000 were first-time applicants. For those who have been previously granted that status, the newly emerging situation in Syria has no impact at the moment.
A total of 236.000 requests for asylum have been submitted in Germany so far this year. Refugees from Ukraine are not included in that number, because they receive the status of temporary protection without an asylum procedure.
Average age 25 years
The majority of Syrian refugees in Germany are men, and only about 41 percent are women. At the same time, Syrians in Germany are younger than the general population: their average age is around 25 years. At the same time, 37 percent of them are minors.
According to information from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, more than 60 percent of those who applied for asylum in Germany between 2017 and 2023 were married. Many children of Syrian refugees were born in Germany: from 2019 (when the survey began) to 2024, around 56.200 children were born.
More than 60 percent of Syrians who have applied for asylum in Germany since 2015 are Arabs, and about a third belong to the Kurdish minority. The clear majority, more than 90 percent, are Muslims, less than two percent are Christians, and about one percent are Yezidis.
Where do Syrians live in Germany?
Most Syrians live in federal states such as North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. They are particularly attractive for them because of the population density (which is especially true for North Rhine-Westphalia) and better offers on the labor market.
Big cities like Berlin, Munich and Hamburg also offer access to programs and support networks. Rural regions tend to be less popular with refugees, as they offer fewer opportunities for integration and employment opportunities.
Compared to other refugee groups, Syrian refugees are considered well qualified. Almost half of the people who came to Germany between 2015 and 2017 finished high school or college. Among those who later came to Germany, there were more than a third of them. In the school year 2022/23. In 186.000, about 50.000 Syrian students attended one of the general education schools in Germany, and another XNUMX attended a vocational school.
Language barriers and problems with diplomas
According to the Federal Employment Agency, about 226.600 Syrians are currently employed and paying social security contributions (as of May 2024). At the end of November 279.600, around 2024 Syrians were registered at the Employment Office under the rubric "looking for a job". Of that number, 155.100 are listed as "unemployed". This means that they are available on the labor market. Their unemployment rate is 37 percent.
Many work in sectors such as construction, hospitality or care, and interest in further training and professional qualifications is also growing rapidly. The biggest obstacles to employment are the language barrier, as well as problems with the recognition of Syrian qualifications.
A return could worsen the crisis of the health system
People from Syria play a particularly important role in the health sector, where they take on jobs for which there is a shortage of manpower. Many have succeeded in finding employment in the nursing field, particularly through specialized training programs.
If they want or have to return to their homeland now that the Assad dictatorship is no more - as some German politicians are already demanding - the existing shortage of skilled labor in the health system could worsen. The Federal Ministry of Health complains that already about 200.000 jobs in the field of care are unfilled.
