There are now 84 million people living in Germany, according to the German Federal Statistical Office. This has nothing to do with the birth rate, which is on the decline. Instead, the number of Ukrainians seeking refuge in Germany caused the population to grow by 750,000 this year.
The population in Germany grew by 0.1% or 82,000 in 2021. In 2022, the population has already increased by 1% or 843,000 people. Germany has not experienced such a large influx of refugees since 2015 when Angela Merkle welcomed all Syrians into Germany. Nearly one million people entered Germany in 2015, mostly fleeing war in the Middle East. It proved to be a disaster as Germany did not have the means to care for all the new arrivals, and the cultures did not integrate well.
Germany is not likely to see as strong of an influx since other European nations are opening their borders to Ukrainians. Poland has already permitted 6.56 million Ukrainians to enter their borders. Yet, Poland has reported that tens of thousands of Ukrainians who fled are now returning. Those returning are likely men who want to fight. Germany reported that most of their new refugees are women (501,000) as well.
The culture integration is easier compared to the 2015 refugee crisis, but do these European nations have the infrastructure and financial means to support so many additional people? Those who fled Syria had nothing to return to as their nation did not receive endless funds from the West. On the other hand, Ukrainians who fled likely plan to return once the war is over. The question becomes when can I return as everything indicates that this war is only getting started.
