The population of Germany is rapidly transforming according to a new study which shows low birthrates, high emigration, and mass immigration have led to a dramatic decrease in the number of native Germans in the country.
The data comes from a two-year study by the German Federal Statistical Office which has shown not only has there been a strong increase of migrants coming to Germany from overseas, but also a strong trend of native Germans leaving to move abroad, Die Welt reports.
The effects are most clearly seen in western Germany where it is estimated that up to 42 percent of children under the age of six now come from a migration background, but the reason for the rapid change in demographics is not down to mass migration alone.
In 2017, 249,000 German citizens left the country to move abroad, while 167,000 moved back from overseas, leading to a net drain of 82,000 Germans leaving the country — a trend that has been ongoing since 2005.
Falling birthrates have also led to a decline among the native German population. As well as losing around 217,000 citizens due to emigration over the past two years, 500,000 more Germans died than were born over the same period. The result is a loss of 700,000 Germans in total, over only two years.
Combined with the pro-mass migration policies of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the figures point to a dramatic demographic shift, reflected in cities like Frankfurt where native Germans officially became a minority in June 2017.
Statistics released earlier this year showed mass migration to be the sole driver of population growth in Germany, a trend that has been seen across other western European countries as well.
In total, nearly one in four German residents, 19.3 million people, now come from a migration background.