Record number of refugees: Almost 3.5 million in Germany!

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Germany reaches new highs with almost 3.5 million asylum seekers. Criticism of asylum policy and rising Ukraine refugees.
Germany reaches new highs with almost 3.5 million asylum seekers. Criticism of asylum policy and rising Ukraine refugees. (Symbolbild/MB)

In Germany, the number of asylum seekers and refugees has increased to a new record value. Around 3.48 million people lived in the Federal Republic at the end of the first half of 2024. This emerges from an answer to a small request from the Left Party in the Bundestag. Compared to the previous half of the year, this means an increase of around 60,000 people. The only period in which more refugees lived in Germany were the 1950s when mainly German displaced persons were accepted.

The increase in Ukraine refugees who now make up about 1.18 million people is particularly striking. Their number increased by 45,000 people compared to the end of 2023. At the same time, the number of people who are obliged to leave fell. At the end of June 2024, almost 227,000 people were liable to leave, about 16,000 less than six months earlier. This decline is attributed to deportations and voluntary departures. Nevertheless, over 80 percent of those obliged to leave the country may not be deported due to the situation in their country of origin, reports .

The role of the Left Party in the asylum debate

Clara Bünger, spokeswoman for the Left Party in the Bundestag, critically commented on the current migration policy debate. In an interview with the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, she emphasized that the asylum seekers only make up four percent of the population. Nevertheless, politicians from traffic lights, CDU and AfD tried to blame this little minority for all problems, which, according to Bünger, only strengthens extreme rights.

The discussion about a stricter asylum policy received new buoyancy after a Syrian asylum seeker murdered three people in an Islamist knife attack in Solingen. Politicians from various parties then called for a harder approach to illegal migrants. Among other things, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) promised to introduce a "particularly serious interest in expression" for knife and expanded the border controls at the beginning of this week. Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) also advocated adapting asylum law. He called for asylum law in the constitution to replace a guarantee of refugees in accordance with the Geneva Convention.

These measures and demands show how controversial and split the debate about asylum policy in Germany is still. More details on this topic can be found in a detailed report .