Germany registers record 332,500 naturalizations in 2025, mainly Syrians

Germany saw a record number of foreigners become citizens in 2025, with 332,500 naturalizations, marking the fifth consecutive annual increase. This figure represents a 14% rise from the 292,000 naturalizations recorded in 2024 and is the first time the number has surpassed 300,000 in a single year since records began in 2000.

Syrians continued to be the largest group to acquire German citizenship, accounting for 20% or 65,600 individuals. However, this number was 21% lower than the 83,200 Syrians naturalized in 2024. Following Syrians, Turkish nationals represented 10% (34,100) and Russians 6% (19,700) of those naturalized. Notably, naturalizations for Turkish and Russian citizens saw a significant increase of over 50% compared to the previous year.

Other nationalities experiencing substantial growth in naturalizations included Bosnians (up 126% to 8,800), Americans (up 100% to 6,600), and Albanians (up 97% to 6,100). The average duration of residency in Germany for those naturalized in 2025 was 12.4 years, a slight increase from 11.8 years in 2024. Syrians, on average, had resided in Germany for 7.9 years before obtaining citizenship, compared to 7.4 years in the prior year.

In contrast, Turkish and Russian citizens had a considerably longer average stay before naturalization, at 24.1 and 14.1 years, respectively. This trend suggests that Syrians tend to apply for citizenship as soon as they meet the formal requirements. The increase in naturalizations for Turkish and Russian citizens may be linked to new regulations allowing them to retain their original nationality alongside their German citizenship, a change from previous rules that often required renunciation.