Germany: Migration That Harms Rather Than Helps the Economy

Every year since 2011, more than one million people have immigrated to Germany from abroad. Net population growth between 2011 and the end of 2023 amounted to 7.1 million people. In his book “Absturz. So retten wir Deutschland” (“Crash: How We Save Germany”), Daniel Stelter writes: “This, together with the ongoing internal migration into metropolitan areas, explains the housing shortage and rising rents…” Yes, that is one explanation, alongside another: ever-increasing government requirements for residential construction have made building in Germany far too expensive, while investors are discouraged by constant new regulations.

Costs of 50 Billion Euros per Year

In his book, Stelter also examines the economic consequences of mass migration. According to Stelter, the fiscal costs of migration place a massive burden on public finances. At around 50 billion euros annually, the expenditures were on the scale of Germany’s defense budget before its increase. The balance between taxes and social contributions paid on the one hand and government benefits received on the other is negative.

According to current figures from the Federal Employment Agency, nearly half of all recipients of “Bürgergeld” do not hold a German passport. Around 5.3 million Bürgergeld recipients were counted in 2025, including approximately 2.5 million foreigners. That corresponds to roughly 47 percent. The share is even higher when considering not only foreigners, but all people with a migration background, including naturalized citizens or........

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