New government data shows fewer refugees living in Germany compared to the end 2024 Thousands in Berlin evacuate their homes over World War II bomb removals Most Germans oppose a 2035 ban new combustion cars

Read a round-up of news and analysis of what’s got people talking in Germany on Friday, September 19:

Fewer refugees living in Germany for first time since 2011

The overall number of refugees in Germany has fallen for the first time in over 10 years, according to government statistics made public by the Left Party on Friday.

Germany’s refugee population declined by about 50,000 in the first half of 2025, from about 3.55 million at the end of 2024 to 3.50 million, a response to a parliamentary query from The Left party showed.

This marks the first drop in the total number of refugees living in Germany since 2011.

The total number includes recent arrivals and long-term residents as well as refugees from Ukraine.

The decline reflects a combination of an increase in deportations, voluntary departures and naturalizations, The Left party said.

Data from the Interior Ministry shows 83,150 Syrians were granted German citizenship, though not all of them were refugees.

Of the roughly 3.5 million refugees, some 492,000 currently hold uncertain status, including asylum-seekers whose claims are being processed and people with temporary permission to remain in Germany. At the end of July, 1.27 million refugees from Ukraine were living in Germany.

The Left party’s Clara Bünger called the decline “no cause for celebration,” adding that fewer people in need of protection were making it through the European Union’s borders.

Welcome to our coverage

Guten Morgen from the DW newsroom in Bonn.

Political pundits in Germany on Friday will be addressing German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s trip to Madrid, where he and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez agreed they want to get a struggling European fighter jet off the ground.

But the two leaders disagreed on their countries’ respective policies toward Israel and recognition of Palestinian statehood.

Thousands of people in Berlin were cleared out of their homes overnight while experts defuse an unexploded World War II bomb found in the Spree River.

Depending on the verdict in a rental disagreement case today, the far-right Alternative for Germany may spend the weekend looking for a new place for its party headquarters.