A total of roughly 2.6 million people with a Turkish migration history lived in Germany in 2025, according to preliminary figures released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Marking the 65th anniversary of the recruitment agreement signed with Turkey on October 30, 1961, the data shows that approximately 1.5 million individuals, or 56%, immigrated themselves, while 1.2 million, or 44%, were born in Germany. Among those who immigrated themselves, about 125,000 were former guest workers from Turkey who arrived between 1961 and the recruitment stop in 1973. A person is classified as having a migration history if they immigrated to Germany themselves since 1950 or if both parents did.
People with a Turkish migration background formed the largest country-of-origin group among those with a migration history in Germany in 2025, and represented the second-largest group of self-immigrants following individuals born in Poland. The 1.5 million people born in Turkey who immigrated to Germany had lived in the country for an average of 32.4 years by 2025. Fifteen percent, or 216,000 people, arrived during the period of the recruitment agreement from 1961 to 1973, which included the former guest workers and their families. Family reunification intensified through the 1970s and 1980s. Approximately one-third, amounting to 33% or 484,000 of all immigrants with a birthplace in Turkey still living in Germany, arrived between 1974 and 1989. This period included an increasing number of individuals seeking international protection for political reasons beginning in the 1980s. Furthermore, 21%, or 307,000 individuals, immigrated to Germany only in 2014 or later. On average, individuals with a Turkish migration history were 19.6 years old upon arrival.
While the historic recruitment of Turkish guest workers initiated this migration flow, people have since arrived for diverse reasons. For nearly two-thirds of the Turkey-born immigrants living in Germany in 2025, representing 64% or 944,000 people, family reasons such as reunification or family formation were the primary migration motive. Another 15%, or 218,000 people, stated employment as their main reason for migrating. An additional 10%, or 146,000 individuals, cited flight, asylum, and international protection, while 4%, or 55,000 people, named education as their primary motive. For the remaining 8%, or 110,000 individuals, other motives were decisive. Although the majority arrived primarily for family reasons, 61% of 15- to 64-year-old immigrants from Turkey were employed in 2025. For comparison, the employment rate of the total population aged 15 to 64 in Germany stood at 77% in 2025. The former Turkish guest workers still living in Germany have mostly passed standard working age, with an average age of 78 years in 2025. Across all employed individuals aged 15 to 64, people with a Turkish migration history accounted for a 3.5% share, totaling 1.4 million workers in 2025. They were disproportionately represented in cleaning occupations at 9.8%, textile and leather occupations at 6.7%, and metal production, processing, and construction at 6.6%. In contrast, their representation was comparatively low in legal and administrative professions, advertising and marketing, and teaching and training, each standing at 1.8%.
In 2025, slightly more men with a Turkish migration history lived in Germany, numbering 1.361 million or 51%, compared to 1.287 million women, or 49%. The average age of people with a Turkish migration history was 42.0 years. Regarding nationality, 52%, or 1.364 million of the total 2.648 million people, held Turkish citizenship or less frequently another foreign nationality in 2025. Meanwhile, 48%, or 1.284 million, held German citizenship, either exclusively or additionally. Among self-immigrants from Turkey, the share holding German nationality exceeded one-quarter at 28%, whereas nearly three-quarters, or 74%, of descendants born in Germany held German citizenship.
Geographically, 73% of all persons with a Turkish migration history resided in four federal states in 2025. North Rhine-Westphalia accounted for the largest share at 32%, followed by Baden-Württemberg at 18%, Bavaria at 12%, and Hesse at 10%. Measured by their proportion of the local population, the highest concentrations of people with a Turkish migration history were found in Bremen at 6.6%, Berlin at 5.0%, and North Rhine-Westphalia at 4.8%.
