More than a quarter of a million people received German passports last year — the highest number since 2000. Most new citizens were of Syrian descent.

The number of people obtaining German citizenship is rising sharply, with Syrians topping the list.

Last year, over 250,000 people were granted German passports — the highest figure since the unified citizenship registry was introduced in 2000.

According to a survey by Welt, 249,901 people were naturalized in just 13 federal states. Three states — Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Schleswig-Holstein — did not provide data, so the actual number is likely significantly higher. The full nationwide statistics are expected to be released in early June by the Federal Statistical Office, Exxpress.at reported.

Here is the distribution of naturalizations across the 13 reporting states:

• North Rhine-Westphalia: 68,703
• Bavaria: 54,518
• Baden-Württemberg: 37,806
• Hesse: 24,915
• Berlin: 21,802
• Rhineland-Palatinate: 12,266
• Hamburg: 9,598
• Bremen: 4,832
• Saxony: 4,408
• Brandenburg: 3,764
• Saarland: 2,787
• Thuringia: 2,640
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: 1,862

Second Consecutive Year of Record Passport Issuance

In 2023, authorities across Germany issued 200,095 passports — a record at the time. Since then, the figures have continued to climb.

The main driver behind this surge is the steady rise in the number of third-country migrants who have arrived in Germany since 2015.

Another major factor is the reform of citizenship law, which took effect on June 27, 2024, allowing immigrants to apply for a German passport after just five years of residence instead of the previous eight.

The majority of applicants were from Syria.

In North Rhine-Westphalia alone, 24,349 Syrians received German passports, followed by 9,351 in Bavaria and 4,503 in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Mehr als eine Viertelmillion Menschen haben im vergangenen Jahr den deutschen Pass erhalten. Das ist die höchste Zahl an Einbürgerungen seit Beginn einheitlicher Erhebungen im Jahr 2000. Am häufigsten erlangten Syrer die deutsche Staatsbürgerschaft. https://t.co/3NgDIwlSHA

— exxpress (@exxpressat) May 31, 2025

The newly introduced three-year fast-track naturalization process only had a limited impact. In Rhineland-Palatinate, 20 people were granted fast-track citizenship; Baden-Württemberg registered 16 such cases; Lower Saxony, four; Hamburg, three; Thuringia, “fewer than three”; and Bremen, none. The CDU and SPD now seek to reintroduce fast-track naturalization. A draft law was submitted to the cabinet on Wednesday. However, its withdrawal is unlikely to significantly affect the overall trend.