Berlin Demographics: The Largest Foreign Communities Ranked

Berlin has always been a city of newcomers. From Huguenots in the 17th century to today’s international students and tech workers, the German capital thrives on diversity.

As of mid-2025, about 41 % of Berlin’s residents have a migration background, according to the official statistics office Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg. This includes foreign nationals as well as German citizens with at least one parent born abroad. The share is even higher in some inner districts, making Berlin one of Germany’s most international cities.

Recent data highlight just how global the capital has become. The Turkish community remains the largest foreign nationality, followed by rapidly growing Ukrainian, Polish, Indian, and Syrian populations. Below you’ll find the top 20 nationalities living in Berlin in 2025—a snapshot of the cultures, cuisines, and stories that give the city its unmistakable character.

Clarifying the Numbers

The figures below come from the Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg and count residents who currently hold a foreign passport and are officially registered in Berlin.

• They do not include German citizens with migration background—for example, Berliners of Turkish descent who now have a German passport.

• Many families with long roots in Berlin may identify with a heritage community but are counted as German in the official statistics.

• Naturalised citizens switch to the “German” category as soon as they receive a German passport, so the size of each foreign nationality may understate the wider cultural community.

  
  

Top 20 Foreign Nationalities in Berlin (2025)

1. Turkey – 108,707

2. Ukraine – 71,838

3. Poland – 51,404

4. India – 45,189

5. Syria – 43,716

6. Russian Federation – 36,610

7. Italy – 33,822

8. Bulgaria – 31,717

9. Romania – 30,680

10. Vietnam – 29,541

11. Afghanistan – 24,794

12. United States – 21,208

13. Serbia – 21,138

14. France – 18,897

15. China – 16,245

16. Spain – 15,745

17. United Kingdom – 14,718

18. Greece – 14,175

19. Iran – 13,619

20. Croatia – 13,235

Berlin’s Turkish Community – From “Guest Workers” to a City Within the City

Berlin is often called the largest Turkish city outside Turkey. Around 200,000 people of Turkish origin live here today, though only about 109,000 hold a Turkish passport—the rest have become German citizens.

Turkish roots in Berlin reach back centuries through diplomacy and trade, but the decisive wave arrived after the 1961 recruitment agreement between West Germany and Turkey. Thousands of so-called Gastarbeiter (guest workers) came to West Berlin to fill post-war labour shortages, and many stayed, later bringing their families.

Today, West Berlin neighbourhoods such as Kreuzberg, Neukölln and Wedding are known for their vibrant Turkish culture, from weekly markets and bakeries to mosques and cultural associations. The community is far from homogeneous: alongside ethnic Turks live large Kurdish and Alevi minorities, plus a small number of Turkish-Christian families. This mix has shaped Berlin’s food scene, music, and politics—think Döner kebab, which Berlin helped popularise worldwide.

Ukrainians in Berlin – From Soviet-Era Movers to Today’s Refugees

Berlin’s Ukrainian community has grown in waves. During the Cold War, a trickle of Ukrainians arrived from the Soviet Union. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, migration from newly independent Ukraine picked up, often alongside other post-Soviet groups such as Volga Germans and Russian-speaking Jews seeking new opportunities and German citizenship through ancestral ties.

The most dramatic increase, however, came after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Within months, tens of thousands of Ukrainians fled to Germany’s capital. By early 2025, official data counted about 72,000 residents with a Ukrainian passport in Berlin, plus many more in the surrounding state of Brandenburg. Roughly 60 percent are women, and around 15,000 Ukrainian children attend Berlin schools.

Many refugees have begun to settle: nearly a third of working-age adults hold jobs, and thousands more are enrolled in language and integration courses. Under the EU’s temporary protection directive, Ukrainians can live, work, and study in Germany at least until March 2026—and surveys show that almost half plan to stay permanently because they no longer have a home to return to.

From neighbourhood cafés serving borsch and varenyky to cultural festivals and tech start-ups founded by newcomers, Ukrainians are now a vibrant part of Berlin’s international landscape—carrying with them both the resilience of war-time displacement and the long-standing ties between Ukraine and Germany.

Poles in Berlin – Centuries of Connection and a Modern Two-Way Flow

Poles have been part of Berlin’s story for hundreds of years. In the 19th century, when Poland was partitioned and lacked its own state, thousands of Polish-speaking Prussians moved westward for industrial jobs, leaving a lasting mark on Berlin’s working-class districts and Catholic parishes. Even during the Cold War, Polish intellectuals, students, and Solidarność refugees found their way to the divided city.

The biggest modern wave came after Poland joined the European Union in 2004. Berlin, just a few hours from the Polish border, offered work, affordable housing, and a cosmopolitan lifestyle. By the 2010s, Poles had become the largest group of EU citizens in Berlin, many commuting weekly between Warsaw, Szczecin, or Poznań and the German capital.

Today about 51,000 residents hold a Polish passport, but the broader community—including naturalised Germans with Polish roots—is far larger. And the flow has started to reverse: Poland’s booming economy and rising wages mean that many Poles who once came for work are now heading back, while others maintain cross-border “dual lives,” splitting time between two EU capitals only 90 minutes apart by train.

From Polish delis in Wedding to the Polnisches Institut near Museum Island and lively festivals like Polska Noc, Berlin’s Polish heritage remains vibrant—reminding visitors that the German–Polish border has always been more bridge than barrier.

Indians in Berlin – A Fast-Growing, High-Skilled Community

Berlin’s Indian population has skyrocketed in the past decade, making it the fastest-growing migrant group in the city. In 2014 only a few thousand Indian citizens lived here; by 2025 the number has soared to around 45,000 residents with an Indian passport, more than ten times as many as a decade ago. No other foreign nationality in Berlin has expanded so quickly.

Germany’s strong economy, affordable universities, and lively start-up scene make the capital a natural magnet. Many Indians arrive for tech and engineering jobs, but the community is far more diverse than the “IT cliché.” Highly qualified professionals now work in health care, research, hospitality, and even traditional German bakeries, while thousands of students choose Berlin for its low tuition and vibrant culture.

A familiar sight in Berlin’s streets are food-delivery riders from India—most of them university students supporting themselves while they study. Experts warn of shady landlords and unaccredited “scam universities,” but overall the Indian experience is considered a migration success story: high employment rates, low unemployment, and median earnings well above the German average.

A 2022 migration agreement between the two countries simplified visas for students and skilled workers, fueling the boom. Demand for German language courses in India has exploded—Goethe-Institutes there report hundreds of thousands of exam takers each year, a sign of how attractive Germany has become as a career springboard.

While many young Indians plan to return home after a few years of work or study, they are reshaping Berlin in the meantime. From South-Indian restaurants in Neukölln to Bollywood nights and yoga studios across the city, the Indian presence adds a fresh layer to Berlin’s long tradition of global migration—and shows how quickly a new community can become part of the capital’s fabric.

Syrians in Berlin – From Refuge to New Roots

Berlin is home to nearly 40,000 residents with Syrian citizenship, making it one of the largest Syrian communities in Europe. Most arrived during and after the 2015 refugee crisis, when Germany opened its borders to people fleeing the civil war. Today Syrians form the second-largest foreign nationality in Germany, and Berlin—especially districts like Neukölln and Kreuzberg with their Arab cafés and shops—has become a focal point of this new diaspora.

Before the conflict in 2011, only a small number of Syrians lived in Berlin, often students or political exiles. The brutal war changed everything: hundreds of thousands fled to Germany seeking safety and a future. Many were granted asylum or “subsidiary protection,” which allows permanent residence and the right to work. Over the past decade, tens of thousands have become German citizens, reflecting a gradual shift from temporary refuge to long-term settlement.

Syrians have opened restaurants, shops, and cultural centers that add to Berlin’s already rich Middle Eastern scene—think falafel stands along Sonnenallee and Arabic bookstores in Wedding. Yet integration has not been without obstacles. Language barriers, housing shortages, and higher unemployment rates mean that many families still rely on social support. Despite these hurdles, Syrian entrepreneurs, students, and artists are increasingly visible in Berlin’s start-up scene, universities, and cultural festivals.

With the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024, debates about return versus permanent settlement have intensified. Some German politicians call for repatriation, while others emphasize the ongoing instability in Syria and the rights of those who have built lives in Germany. For now, Berlin’s Syrian community remains an essential part of the city’s cultural and economic fabric—a reminder of how global crises reshape urban life and how a capital known for reinvention continues to welcome new Berliners.

Russians in Berlin: From 1920s Charlottengrad to Today’s Russian-Speaking Community

Berlin has long been a magnet for Russian speakers. Official figures list about 36,000 Russian citizens in the city, but the broader Russian-speaking community is far larger—many Berliners have roots in Russia or the former Soviet Union. Estimates suggest well over 100,000 Russian speakers live in the capital when second-generation families are included.

The nickname Charlottengrad dates back to the 1920s. After the 1917 Russian Revolution and civil war, Berlin became a safe—and affordable—haven for artists, aristocrats, and intellectuals fleeing upheaval.

Charlottenburg’s grand boulevards filled with Russian cafés, cabarets, and publishing houses. Writers like Marina Zwetajewa, Ilja Ehrenburg, and Boris Pasternak passed through. Locals joked that the bus along Kurfürstendamm was the “Russenschaukel,” and up to 200 Russian-language newspapers and bookstores flourished.

Berlin’s Russian-speaking population is diverse. Most people fall into three overlapping groups:

1. Ethnic Russians: Citizens of the Russian Federation or former Soviet republics who moved for work, education, or after the USSR collapsed. They often maintain close cultural ties, speak Russian at home, and cluster in districts like Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Marzahn, and Lichtenberg.

2. Russlanddeutsche (Ethnic Germans from the East): Descendants of German settlers invited to Russia centuries ago, many returned to Germany under the constitutional right of return (Aussiedler/Spätaussiedler).

   • Roughly 1.8 million people of this background migrated to Germany between 1992 and 2007.

   • They usually hold German citizenship but may feel a dual identity—German by passport, Russian by language and tradition.

3. Russian-Speaking Jews: After 1990, Germany created a special quota program for Jews from the former Soviet Union. More than 200,000 immigrated nationwide, revitalizing Jewish life in Berlin.

   • Communities center around synagogues in Mitte and Charlottenburg, and Russian remains a common language in many congregations.

     
     

Most Russian-Germans have integrated well, with high employment and education levels. Younger generations are often bilingual, switching between German and Russian with ease. Yet many families preserve their heritage through Saturday language schools and cultural associations.

Italians in Berlin: From Guest Workers to “New Europeans”

Italians have a long and layered history in Berlin, evolving from post-war guest workers to a dynamic, modern community. The first wave arrived in West Berlin in the 1950s to fill labor shortages, working primarily in industry, and many returned home after a few years. From the 1970s onwards, family reunification helped stabilize the community, with Italians settling permanently, raising families, and integrating into West Berlin’s social fabric. Since the 2000s, a new generation of Italians—often highly educated, multilingual, and career-focused—has moved to Berlin, attracted by opportunities in creative industries, startups, and the digital economy. These newcomers identify less as traditional migrants and more as “new Europeans,” embracing mobility and cultural exchange within the EU.

Today, Italians contribute visibly to Berlin’s urban life. Italian restaurants, cafés, and bakeries are scattered across the city, particularly in neighborhoods like Charlottenburg and Kreuzberg. Many Italians also run their own businesses, from fashion boutiques to design studios, while cultural associations and events help maintain connections to Italian traditions. Across generations, the Italian community in Berlin embodies a blend of heritage, professional ambition, and European identity, enriching the city’s cultural and economic diversity.

Bulgarians and Romanians in Berlin: New Arrivals, New Challenges

Since 2014, when full labor mobility within the EU took effect, the number of Bulgarians and Romanians moving to Germany—and Berlin in particular—has risen sharply. Many come seeking better economic opportunities, education, and access to health and social services. Unlike earlier waves of migration, a large proportion of these newcomers arrive with limited formal qualifications and little German, which can make integration into the labor market and social systems challenging. Despite these obstacles, many find work in construction, hospitality, and logistics, often in temporary or low-paid positions, while a minority struggle to establish a long-term foothold.

A significant subset of this population comes from Roma communities in Bulgaria and Romania. Many face compounded difficulties due to discrimination, low levels of formal education, and housing insecurity. Districts like Neukölln have become focal points for these communities, reflecting both the opportunities and pressures of rapid migration. While many Bulgarians and Romanians are successfully entering the German workforce, local authorities continue to seek solutions to support vulnerable groups and break cycles of precarious employment, housing insecurity, and social exclusion.

The Vietnamese Community in Berlin: From Contract Workers to Entrepreneurs

Berlin is home to Germany’s largest Southeast Asian community, with around 40,000 Vietnamese residents—roughly 1.16% of the city’s population. Many live in the eastern districts of the city, including Lichtenberg, Marzahn-Hellersdorf and Mitte, reflecting the history of East Berlin’s labor agreements. In Lichtenberg, for example, people of Vietnamese origin make up nearly 12% of the local population.

The community has diverse origins. In the 1980s, many came to East Berlin as contract workers under agreements between communist East Germany and Vietnam, while South Vietnamese fleeing the Vietnam War settled in West Berlin. After reunification, some lost their legal residence or jobs, yet many stayed and gradually established small businesses, transforming Berlin’s urban economy. Today, the Vietnamese community is highly entrepreneurial: they run Spätkauf (late-night convenience stores), flower shops, and restaurants, with the Dong Xuan Market in Lichtenberg serving as the economic and cultural hub.

The community is not homogenous: it includes Hoa (Vietnamese Chinese), Hmong, and Kinh populations. Culinary contributions have also grown, with restaurants like Monsieur Vuong popularizing traditional Pho, shifting the perception of Vietnamese cuisine in Berlin from Thai-influenced fusion to authentic Vietnamese flavors. The Vietnamese community today combines economic initiative, cultural vibrancy, and strong neighborhood presence, particularly in the city’s eastern districts.

Afghans in Berlin: A Growing and Diverse Community

Berlin is home to around 24,000 Afghan citizens, making it one of the largest Afghan populations in a single German city outside Hamburg. When you include German citizens of Afghan descent, the number is even higher, reflecting decades of migration shaped by conflict, politics, and family ties. Germany as a whole now counts over 425,000 people of Afghan origin, the largest Afghan community in Western Europe.

The Afghan presence in Germany began with small groups of students and merchants in the 1970s, followed by larger waves after the Soviet–Afghan War, the civil wars of the 1990s, and the European migrant crisis of the 2010s. A more recent chapter came after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, when thousands of Afghans—many of them employees of German military and aid missions—were evacuated to Germany. Court cases and political disputes over further admissions continued into 2025, keeping migration a live political issue.

Berlin’s Afghan community is highly diverse, mirroring Afghanistan’s own ethnic and religious mosaic. Early arrivals often included well-educated professionals, while later groups came from a wider range of social and educational backgrounds. Today the community supports mosques, cultural associations, and Afghan restaurants, while younger Berlin Afghans increasingly move between Afghan traditions and a cosmopolitan Berlin identity. Despite their size and visibility, many note that official statistics undercount second- and third-generation Afghan-Germans who now hold German passports and are no longer classified as having a “migration background.”

Americans in Berlin: From Cold War Outpost to Creative Hub

Berlin’s connection to the United States runs deep. After 1945, the city’s western districts formed the American Sector of occupied Germany, with U.S. forces stationed alongside their British and French allies. American troops, diplomats, and their families shaped entire neighborhoods, especially in Zehlendorf, where schools, housing blocks, and the now-famous John-F.-Kennedy School earned the nickname “Little America.” During the Cold War, West Berlin was a frontline symbol of freedom, and thousands of U.S. soldiers were stationed here until the final withdrawal in 1994. Their presence left lasting cultural footprints—from jazz clubs to baseball diamonds—long after the tanks and checkpoints disappeared.

Today a different wave of Americans calls Berlin home. More than 20,000 U.S. citizens live in the capital, joined by many dual nationals and students who don’t show up in official counts. Drawn by affordable universities, a vibrant start-up scene, and Berlin’s legendary arts culture, they range from tech entrepreneurs and film professionals to musicians and visual artists seeking lower costs than New York or Los Angeles. Cafés like Barcomi’s, English-language theaters, and the John-F.-Kennedy School remain community anchors, while newcomers settle everywhere from creative Kreuzberg to family-friendly Zehlendorf.

This modern American community reflects Berlin’s shift from a divided city to a global magnet. The military compounds may be gone, but Berlin’s reputation as an international playground—where U.S. expats can find both opportunity and inspiration—has only grown, carrying the American connection into the 21st century.

Serbs, Croats, and Other Ex-Yugoslav Communities in Berlin

The legacy of the former Yugoslavia is written across Berlin’s immigrant history. Beginning in the 1960s, thousands of workers from the Balkans arrived as Gastarbeiter under a recruitment agreement between West Germany and Yugoslavia. Drawn by jobs in construction, heavy industry, and Berlin’s booming electronics firms, many intended to stay only a few years. Yet steady work, family reunification, and a new generation born in Germany turned short contracts into permanent lives. By the early 1970s, nearly 30,000 Yugoslav citizens lived in West Berlin—second only to the city’s Turkish population—more than half of them Croats from Dalmatia and Herzegovina. Churches like the Croatian Catholic Mission in Kreuzberg became key anchors for preserving language, faith, and community as the years stretched on.

When Yugoslavia disintegrated in the 1990s, Berlin welcomed a new wave of refugees and migrants from across the Balkans—Serbs, Bosniaks, Montenegrins, and others—escaping war and economic collapse. Today the city is home to over 24,000 Serbs, 11,000 Croats, and more than 10,000 people from Bosnia-Herzegovina, along with smaller Slovenian and Montenegrin groups. Their presence is felt in family-run cafés and bakeries, vibrant Orthodox and Catholic parishes, and cultural associations that host festivals and music nights. From the early Gastarbeiter era to the post-war diaspora, Berlin’s ex-Yugoslav communities remain among the capital’s largest and most enduring immigrant populations, blending Balkan traditions with the rhythms of a modern, cosmopolitan city.

French Footprints in Berlin

French influence in Berlin stretches from 17th-century Huguenot refugees to today’s thriving expat scene. After the Thirty Years’ War, the city lay in ruins, and the Great Elector of Brandenburg invited persecuted French Protestants to settle here. Around 6,000 Huguenots—one in six Berliners at the time—brought new skills in tailoring, goldsmithing, baking, and textile dyeing. They left a lasting mark on the cityscape and language: the Französischer Dom on Gendarmenmarkt remains a landmark, and everyday words like Boulette (from boulette) and Kinkerlitzchen (from quincailleries) recall their heritage. Their craftsmanship helped transform Berlin into a prosperous European capital, while French culinary flair shaped the city’s palate for good coffee, pastries, and fine dining.

A second wave of French presence came after 1945, when the Allied powers divided Berlin and France administered the northern districts of Wedding and Reinickendorf. Though initially seen as the least lavish occupiers, the French soon won Berliners over with food, film, and savoir-vivre. The Centre Français de Berlin—complete with cinema, library, and teaching kitchens—became a cultural hub, and the annual Franco-German folk festival and July-14 celebrations turned North Berlin into a pocket of Parisian charm. Even after the French military left in 1994, the bond endured. Today, over 22,000 French citizens call Berlin home, concentrated in neighborhoods like Kreuzberg, Prenzlauer Berg, and Mitte. From chic bistros and wine bars to start-ups and film festivals, French culture continues to flavor the German capital, making Paris and Berlin one of Europe’s most enduring city pairings.

Chinese Life in Berlin: From Early Scholars to Today’s Kantstraße “Chinatown”

Chinese presence in Berlin reaches back more than two centuries and tells a story of scholarship, politics, and quiet perseverance. The very first recorded visitors—two young men nicknamed Assing and Haho—arrived in the early 1800s and even served tea at the Prussian court in Potsdam. By the late 19th century Berlin was already attracting students from China’s coastal cities. In 1881 ten ship-building students from Fuzhou enrolled at the city’s technical institutes, and by 1902 more than 120 Chinese were studying at Berlin universities. The Charlottenburg district soon became their intellectual and social hub. In 1923 the first Chinese restaurant, the Tientsin, opened on Kantstraße, laying the foundation for the area’s culinary reputation. The interwar years brought political ferment: future leaders such as Zhou Enlai and Zhu De passed through Berlin, debating Marxism and organizing early Communist Party cells while renting rooms in Wilmersdorf.

After 1945 a new generation arrived, including restaurateurs who made West Berlin’s Hongkong Bar and Canton Restaurant stylish meeting places for artists and celebrities. Until the 1980s the community was dominated by migrants from Taiwan and Hong Kong, but students and workers from the People’s Republic of China began arriving in greater numbers after the Tian’anmen protests of 1989. Today official figures list around 16,000 Chinese citizens in Berlin, though informal estimates are higher. Their spiritual home remains Charlottenburg’s Kantstraße—nicknamed “Kantonstraße” in a nod to Guangdong province—where dim sum houses, grocery stores, and import businesses line the street. Berlin lacks a single enclosed Chinatown, yet this lively corridor offers a distinct sense of place. From early scholars to present-day entrepreneurs, the Chinese in Berlin have quietly shaped the city’s academic life, political history, and beloved food culture for more than a hundred years.

Spaniards in Berlin: From Gastarbeiter Roots to a New Creative Wave

The Spanish community in Berlin reflects two major migration chapters. The first began in the 1960s, when West Germany and Spain signed a “Gastarbeiter” recruitment agreement. Thousands of young men and women left Franco’s Spain to work in German factories and construction sites. Many settled permanently, raised families, and opened the city’s first tapas bars and cultural clubs. By the late 1970s Berlin counted a small but vibrant Spanish quarter, marked by church parishes and community centers that still exist today.

A second, very different wave arrived after the 2008 financial crisis. Faced with high unemployment at home, highly educated Spanish graduates—engineers, designers, IT specialists—looked north for opportunity. Berlin’s start-up scene, lower rents, and international culture proved irresistible. The city is now home to roughly 15,700 Spanish citizens, making it Germany’s largest single Spanish community. Their imprint can be felt in lively tapas bars across Prenzlauer Berg and Kreuzberg, Spanish-language meetups, and the annual Feria de Abril festival. Unlike the earlier generation of industrial workers, today’s newcomers are often multilingual professionals who blend into Berlin’s cosmopolitan creative economy while keeping strong ties to their Iberian heritage. Together, these two generations have given Berlin a Spanish flavor that spans from family-run flamenco schools to cutting-edge tech offices.

Brits in Berlin: From Roaring Twenties to the Brexit Boom

British influence in Berlin stretches across a century of art, politics, and pop culture. In the 1920s, writers like Christopher Isherwood and W. H. Auden arrived by train to explore the city’s electrifying nightlife, later immortalizing Weimar Berlin in Goodbye to Berlin—the book that inspired the film Cabaret. During the Nazi era, the United Kingdom became a lifeline for thousands of Jewish children rescued by the Kindertransport, commemorated today at the “Trains to Life – Trains to Death” memorial at Bahnhof Friedrichstraße. After 1945, Britain helped govern the city as one of the four Allied powers. British soldiers, airfields like Gatow, and even the famous “Rosinenbomber” (candy bombers) of the Berlin Airlift all left lasting marks. Queen Elizabeth II’s celebrated 1965 visit, cheered by a million Berliners, symbolized a friendship forged from wartime tragedy.

Music deepened the bond. The Rolling Stones’ riotous 1965 Waldbühne concert and David Bowie’s legendary late-’70s Berlin years cemented the city’s reputation as a British rock capital. Punk and New Wave scenes flowed from London to West Berlin, paving the way for the techno explosion of the 1990s. Today an estimated 18,000 British citizens call Berlin home. Many arrived during the EU’s freedom-of-movement era to work in creative industries and startups. When Brexit loomed, hundreds sought German citizenship—Berlin recorded a record 841 naturalizations of UK nationals in 2019, the largest group of any single country that year. Whether through literature, liberation, or late-night club tracks, the British presence remains woven into Berlin’s cultural fabric, ensuring the city stays just a little bit very British.

Greeks in Berlin: From Gastarbeiter to a New Wave of Young Professionals

Berlin’s Greek community is both one of the city’s oldest migrant groups and one of its most dynamic. The first significant arrivals came as Gastarbeiter after the 1960 bilateral labor-recruitment agreement between West Germany and Greece. Drawn by well-paid factory work at companies like Siemens and BMW, thousands settled in West Berlin through the 1960s and 70s, often intending to stay only a few years. Many opened restaurants and grocery shops once the initial industrial jobs faded, and Greek-run tavernas quickly became a beloved part of Berlin’s culinary landscape. By the late 1980s, Greek Berliners had built strong cultural institutions—from the Hellenic Community Center in Steglitz to Greek Orthodox churches—ensuring language and traditions survived into the next generation.

A second, very different migration wave followed the Greek debt crisis of the 2010s. Facing youth unemployment rates above 50 percent at home, thousands of highly educated young Greeks headed for Berlin’s comparatively affordable rents and vibrant start-up scene. Local observers estimate that in just a few years the number of Greek residents in the capital nearly doubled. Facebook groups like “Greek Berliners” now connect new arrivals with jobs, flats, and bureaucracy tips, while cafés such as Misirlou in Prenzlauer Berg have become informal hubs for this “crisis generation.” Today roughly 15,000 people of Greek nationality live in Berlin, and many more have German citizenship. Together they represent the full arc of Greek migration: from 1960s factory floors to 21st-century creative offices, keeping Hellenic culture alive while shaping the city’s modern European character.

Iranians in Berlin: A Highly Educated, Deeply Diverse Community

Berlin’s Iranian community is one of the city’s most educated and multifaceted migrant groups. Official statistics count about 9,000 Iranian citizens in the capital, but the true number of people with Iranian heritage is far higher when including German-Iranian dual nationals. Iranian migration to Germany stretches back to the 19th century, yet Berlin became a major hub after the 1950s, when political upheavals and the 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mossadegh sent students and intellectuals abroad. Another large wave arrived after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and during the Iran–Iraq War of the 1980s, when thousands of political refugees sought asylum. These early exiles helped establish a vibrant network of cultural associations, Persian-language bookshops, and restaurants that still dot neighborhoods like Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf today.

What makes Berlin’s Iranian population stand out is its extraordinary educational profile. More than half of Iranians in Germany hold a university degree—over twice the national average—and many work as doctors, engineers, researchers, and entrepreneurs. The community is also strikingly secular: surveys show that only about one-third identify as Muslim, while nearly half report no religious affiliation, a contrast to Iran’s officially Islamic character. This diversity extends to ethnicity—Persians, Kurds, Azeris, Armenians, and others—making Berlin’s Iranian scene a miniature reflection of the country’s complexity. Recent protests inside Iran, including the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, have energized a younger generation of Berlin-based Iranians, who organize rallies at the Brandenburg Gate and use the city’s international stage to amplify calls for human rights. From high-tech start-ups to underground art collectives, Iranians continue to shape Berlin as both a safe haven and a springboard for global ideas.

Bonus: Israelis and Palestinians in Berlin: Diverse Communities, Shared City

Berlin hosts vibrant communities of both Israelis and Palestinians, reflecting complex migration histories and contemporary urban life. Estimates suggest that between 10,000 and 30,000 Israelis live in Berlin, alongside 35,000 to 45,000 Palestinians, making the city home to the largest Palestinian community outside the Arab world. Many Palestinians in Berlin arrived after the Lebanese civil war in the mid-1970s, fleeing violence in refugee camps, while Israelis increasingly migrate for personal freedom, career opportunities, or cultural life.

The migration of young, often secular Israelis to Berlin has sparked considerable debate in Israel. Berlin’s appeal lies in its lower living costs compared to Tel Aviv, a thriving cultural scene, and the freedom to explore new identities, often outside the intense political and social pressures of Israel.

The official number of Palestinians in Berlin is lower than actual estimates due to many being stateless or holding secondary citizenships. Some arrived from Lebanon or other host countries where they were denied citizenship, and others are counted under “Other Asia” or not registered at all. Despite these challenges, Palestinians have built a resilient community, balancing integration into Berlin life with strong ties to their families and networks across the Middle East.