Germany Grants Record 292,000 Citizenships in 2024 Driven by Syrians, Turks, Russians

Germany granted citizenship to a record 291,955 people in 2024, marking a 46% increase from the previous year, driven primarily by Syrians, Russians, and Turks. The surge follows reforms in the Citizenship Law Modernization Act, which reduced residency requirements from eight to five years, or as little as three years in cases of strong integration, and allowed dual citizenship. Syrians constituted the largest group of new citizens at 83,150 individuals, about 28% of the total, many of whom arrived as refugees during the 2015-2016 migration wave. Russian naturalizations increased more than sixfold to nearly 13,000, while Turkish naturalizations more than doubled to over 22,500, benefiting from the new law allowing retention of original citizenship. However, Germany's new coalition government plans to reinstate a minimum five-year waiting period for citizenship, citing concerns about integration and migration. The Turkish diaspora welcomed the reforms as a step toward greater social and political inclusion of immigrants in Germany.