Number of Turkish citizens gaining German citizenship doubles in 2024
The number of Turkish nationals naturalized in Germany more than doubled in 2024, reaching 22,525 — a 110% increase from the 10,735 recorded the previous year, according to data released by Germany’s Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). This marks the highest increase among all nationalities obtaining German citizenship.
Germany’s Largest Naturalization Year on Record
A total of 291,955 foreigners became German citizens in 2024 — the highest annual increase since record-keeping began in 2000, up 46% compared to 2023. Syrians topped the list with 83,150 naturalizations, followed by Turkish, Iraqi (13,545), and Russian (12,980) nationals.
Legal Reforms Fueling the Trend
Destatis attributed the surge to the June 2024 citizenship reform introduced by Germany’s former SPD-Green-FDP coalition. The law reduced the required residency period from eight to five years, or as few as three for highly integrated individuals — though the three-year rule was later repealed by the current CDU/CSU-SPD coalition in May 2025.
Dual Citizenship a Key Factor for Turkish Community
A crucial change was the legalization of dual citizenship, which allowed Turkish nationals to retain their original citizenship — removing a major barrier to naturalization. On average, Turkish citizens had lived in Germany for over 23 years before gaining citizenship, compared to just seven years for Syrians.
