Turkish citizens
Turkish citizens per 1,000 inhabitants (Central Register of Foreigners), 31 December, 31.12.2025
The eastern states have 2.6 Turkish citizens per 1,000 inhabitants, against 20.4 in the West: the western rate is 7.8 times as high as the eastern one. Berlin (30.4) alone is home to 112,480 Turkish citizens, 3.5 times as many as all five eastern states together (31,795). Gelsenkirchen has the highest rate of any district (74.1), Regen and Freyung-Grafenau the lowest (0.4).
Inner-German border 1949–1990 ·401 districts · 31.12.2025
Former West
20.4
excl. Berlin
Former East
2.6
excl. Berlin
Berlin
30.4
Germany
18.2
Figures in per 1,000
The East stands at 13% of the West's level (31.12.2025).
By state
- Bremen33.6
- Berlin30.4
- Nordrhein-Westfalen26.9
- Hessen26.4
- Hamburg24.6
- Baden-Württemberg23.7
- Rheinland-Pfalz15.1
- Bayern14.6
- Niedersachsen11.8
- Saarland10.4
- Schleswig-Holstein10.3
- Sachsen-Anhalt2.9
- Brandenburg2.7
- Thüringen2.7
- Sachsen2.4
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern2.3
31.12.2025
Then and now
Drag across the map to compare 31.12.1991 with 31.12.2025. Both maps share one colour key.
Former West
26.5
excl. Berlin
Former East
0.1
excl. Berlin
Berlin
37.1
Germany
22.2
Figures in per 1,000
The East stands at 0% of the West's level (31.12.1991).
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 Turkish citizenship, not Turkish origin: people of Turkish descent who are German citizens (including dual nationals) are not included, so the number of people with Turkish roots is much larger.
- 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).
- Turkish citizens registered in the AZR on 31.12.2025: 31,795 in the eastern states, 1,376,130 in the West, 112,480 in Berlin, 1,520,405 in Germany.
- The eastern district with the highest rate is Weimar (6.9 per 1,000); the lowest western rate is in Regen and Freyung-Grafenau (0.4).
- 1991: 896 Turkish citizens in the eastern states, 1,650,752 in the West and 127,938 in Berlin (AZR, 31.12.1991; population of the time).
Show the table
| State | Side | 31.12.2025 | 31.12.1991 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saarland | west | 10.4 per 1,000 | 10.5 per 1,000 |
| Berlin | berlin | 30.4 per 1,000 | 37.1 per 1,000 |
| Brandenburg | east | 2.7 per 1,000 | 0.1 per 1,000 |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | east | 2.3 per 1,000 | 0.1 per 1,000 |
| Sachsen | east | 2.4 per 1,000 | 0.0 per 1,000 |
| Sachsen-Anhalt | east | 2.9 per 1,000 | 0.1 per 1,000 |
| Thüringen | east | 2.7 per 1,000 | 0.0 per 1,000 |
| Schleswig-Holstein | west | 10.3 per 1,000 | 14.0 per 1,000 |
| Hamburg | west | 24.6 per 1,000 | 35.4 per 1,000 |
| Niedersachsen | west | 11.8 per 1,000 | 15.4 per 1,000 |
| Bremen | west | 33.6 per 1,000 | 41.7 per 1,000 |
| Nordrhein-Westfalen | west | 26.9 per 1,000 | 35.0 per 1,000 |
| Hessen | west | 26.4 per 1,000 | 30.0 per 1,000 |
| Rheinland-Pfalz | west | 15.1 per 1,000 | 16.7 per 1,000 |
| Baden-Württemberg | west | 23.7 per 1,000 | 31.0 per 1,000 |
| Bayern | west | 14.6 per 1,000 | 20.5 per 1,000 |