Nearly 1 in 20 of All Syrians Now Lives in Germany, Over Half Receive Welfare

The Syrian and Afghan population in Germany has risen dramatically, and it’s costing Germans billions.

Ever since the 2015/16 migrant crisis, Syrians have arrived in Germany in ever-increasing numbers, and now number at least 972,000 at the end of 2023, according to Statista. There are 22 million Syrians living in Syria itself, meaning those in Germany represent nearly 1 for every 20 in their native country.

This is extremely rapid growth since 2014 when there were only 60,000 Syrians in Germany. Since then, the population has grown 16-fold.

However, despite promises that Syrians would integrate into the German economy, the numbers still tell a very different story, with 513,534 Syrians receiving the German welfare benefit known as citizen’s money (Burgergeld), according to the current data from the Federal Employment Agency. However, even those who are not receiving this payment receive money, housing, and other benefits from the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act.

This is a major factor in Germany’s record-high debt levels, with the government spending nearly €50 billion on migrants in 2023, making up a sizeable portion of Germany’s overall budget.

According to Statista, the number of Afghans has also grown tremendously, increasing to 419,410 in 2023, representing a sixfold increase from 2014. Nearly half of them, 197,551, receive social welfare payments, and the vast majority live on asylum seeker benefits. However, Afghanistan’s population is much larger than Syria, totaling 41 million, which means the share of Afghans living in Germany is much smaller relatively speaking.

Afghans continue to arrive in Germany at a high rate, with 10,000 supposed to be flown in, according to an announcement from Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. 

As Remix News has previously noted, Afghans have one of the highest rates of criminality in the country. According to some criminal statistics, Afghans are five times more likely to commit a criminal act than native Germans. However, in some categories, such as sexual assaults, they are 12.5 times more likely to commit an offense than the rest of society. However, this is only a fraction of the problem that Germany has been forced to endure with regard to migrant crimes, many of which are committed by repeat offenders. Around one-third of migrants who were suspected of committing a crime had previous convictions. As many as 700 of them had 21 or more previous convictions.

Many of the crimes are serious, including gang rape, rape, assault, and murder. In many cases, the difference in cultures is striking. For example, in 2022, a 29-year-old Afghan attacked a 58-year-old gardener in a park in the western part of Berlin. He talked to her for a moment, then suddenly pulled out a knife and stabbed her in the neck several times. He allegedly told police he didn’t like that she was working. A retired passerby rushed to help her, ending up with serious injuries as well.

Many of the Syrians who arrived in the country, along with Afghans who have been in the country longer, are set to receive citizenship. A new citizenship law is coming into force on Thursday this week, which will allow foreigners who have been in the country for five years to receive naturalization, and some can even receive it after three years.

Notably, despite a brutal civil war and the exodus of millions of Syrians from their home country, the overall population is actually back on the rise due to births and some Syrians even remigrating. Many Syrians remain internally displaced within the country, while millions of more in Turkey, Europe, and other countries.

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