Russian, Ukrainian & Kazakh citizens
Citizens of the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Kazakhstan per 1,000 inhabitants (Central Register of Foreigners), 31 December, 31.12.2025
Citizens of Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan make up 21.2 per 1,000 inhabitants in the eastern states and 20.2 in the West (Berlin: 32.0): the eastern rate is almost exactly the same as the western one. Ukrainians dominate since 2022 (81% of the three groups nationally); at the end of 2021 the combined rate was 5.2 in the East and 5.4 in the West. Russian citizens alone: 3.2 per 1,000 in the East, 3.1 in the West. Baden-Baden has the highest combined rate of any district (73.0).
Inner-German border 1949–1990 ·401 districts · 31.12.2025
Former West
20.2
excl. Berlin
Former East
21.2
excl. Berlin
Berlin
32.0
Germany
20.9
Figures in per 1,000
The East stands at 105% of the West's level (31.12.2025).
By state
- Berlin32.0
- Bremen28.9
- Hamburg26.9
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern22.7
- Sachsen22.4
- Saarland22.1
- Hessen21.7
- Sachsen-Anhalt20.9
- Thüringen20.8
- Baden-Württemberg20.5
- Bayern20.0
- Nordrhein-Westfalen19.6
- Schleswig-Holstein19.5
- Niedersachsen19.2
- Brandenburg18.7
- Rheinland-Pfalz17.8
31.12.2025
Then and now
Drag across the map to compare 31.12.2021 with 31.12.2025. Both maps share one colour key.
Former West
5.4
excl. Berlin
Former East
5.2
excl. Berlin
Berlin
11.8
Germany
5.7
Figures in per 1,000
The East stands at 96% of the West's level (31.12.2021).
Notes & caveats
- Counts come from the Central Register of Foreigners (Ausländerzentralregister, AZR): people without German citizenship who are registered as staying in Germany not just temporarily (as a rule for more than three months), plus some other cases such as asylum applicants. Dual nationals with a German passport count as Germans and are not included. AZR counts are higher than the foreign population in the population update (Bevölkerungsfortschreibung), partly because departures are recorded late.
- This counts citizenship, not origin. Most ethnic-German resettlers (Spätaussiedler) from the former Soviet Union and their families are German citizens and are not included.
- Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 this measure is dominated by refugees from Ukraine (81% of the three groups on 31.12.2025), who are allocated to the states by quota (Königsteiner Schlüssel) and then to districts. The then-value (31.12.2021) shows the pre-war picture.
- Ukrainian citizens: East 17.6, West 16.5, Berlin 21.9, Germany 16.9 per 1,000 (217,735 / 1,110,835 / 81,000 / 1,409,570 people); 31.12.2021: East 2.0, West 1.7, Berlin 3.7.
- Russian citizens: East 3.2, West 3.1, Berlin 9.5, Germany 3.4 per 1,000 (39,590 / 209,470 / 35,165 / 284,225 people); 31.12.2021: East 2.9, West 3.1, Berlin 7.5.
- Kazakh citizens: East 0.3, West 0.6, Berlin 0.6, Germany 0.6 per 1,000 (4,060 / 41,140 / 2,225 / 47,425 people); 31.12.2021: East 0.3, West 0.6, Berlin 0.5.
- All rates are our calculation: AZR count on 31 December ÷ population on the same date (Bevölkerungsfortschreibung on the basis of the 2022 census, GENESIS 12411-0015 for districts and 12411-0010 for states).
- Destatis rounds every AZR count to a multiple of 5 for confidentiality, so district counts do not add up exactly to state totals. East, West, Berlin, Germany and state values use the state tables; district values use the district tables.
- Kassel city and Kassel district, Cottbus and Spree-Neiße, and the six districts of Saarland are each served by a single foreigners' authority, and the AZR does not split them. Each of these is shown with one joint rate (our calculation over their combined population).
Show the table
| State | Side | 31.12.2025 | 31.12.2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saarland | west | 22.1 per 1,000 | 4.3 per 1,000 |
| Berlin | berlin | 32.0 per 1,000 | 11.8 per 1,000 |
| Brandenburg | east | 18.7 per 1,000 | 6.6 per 1,000 |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | east | 22.7 per 1,000 | 5.5 per 1,000 |
| Sachsen | east | 22.4 per 1,000 | 5.6 per 1,000 |
| Sachsen-Anhalt | east | 20.9 per 1,000 | 3.7 per 1,000 |
| Thüringen | east | 20.8 per 1,000 | 3.8 per 1,000 |
| Schleswig-Holstein | west | 19.5 per 1,000 | 4.5 per 1,000 |
| Hamburg | west | 26.9 per 1,000 | 8.6 per 1,000 |
| Niedersachsen | west | 19.2 per 1,000 | 4.9 per 1,000 |
| Bremen | west | 28.9 per 1,000 | 8.5 per 1,000 |
| Nordrhein-Westfalen | west | 19.6 per 1,000 | 5.3 per 1,000 |
| Hessen | west | 21.7 per 1,000 | 5.4 per 1,000 |
| Rheinland-Pfalz | west | 17.8 per 1,000 | 4.6 per 1,000 |
| Baden-Württemberg | west | 20.5 per 1,000 | 5.0 per 1,000 |
| Bayern | west | 20.0 per 1,000 | 6.2 per 1,000 |