Germany’s population reached a record high of more than 83 million people last year. This was largely because of migration, most of which came from eastern Europe, data showed on Tuesday.
Net migration fell to some 400,000 people in 2018 from 416,000 in the previous year, the Federal Statistics Office said. European Union states remained the main origin of new arrivals with net migration of 202,000.
Within this group, net migration was highest from Romania (68,000), Croatia (29,000), Bulgaria (27,000) and Poland (20,000), Reuters reported.
Fewer refugees from war-torn countries seem to be arriving in Germany. Net migration from Syria nearly halved to 34,000 in 2018 from 60,000 in the previous year, while net migration from Africa slipped to 34,000 from 35,000.