According to figures from, „www.wegweiser-kommune.de“, a data hub powered by the Bertelsmann Foundation, population in greater urban areas will likely increase five percent on average by 2030. Munich, Stuttgart and Dresden are projected to experience such population growth. In contrast, the size of communities will dramatically decrease on an average of 20 percent by 2030 in already sparsely populated regions with comparatively weaker infrastructure. Bad Harzburg in Niedersachsen or Angermu?nde in the Uckermark are such places that are at risk of demographically imploding in coming years. By examining where immigrant populations in Germany are settled, the study concludes that greater metropolitan areas, which are generally demographically prosperous, attract the largest per capita international communities. Population growth appears to spill over into smaller communities that are located close to economically strong, greater metropolitan areas. In West Germany, greater urban areas have relatively high numbers of resident migrants (Munich: 23.1%, Stuttgart: 23.1%, Frankfurt am Main: 20.9%, Cologne 16.2%). Regarding the eastern part of the country, Berlin is attractive to international residents, with a foreign population of 13.7%. While Dresden tends to draw foreigners (4.7%), other cities and regions in the East are struggling demographically. Sparsely populated regions with comparatively weaker infrastructure in the eastern part of the country have very few international residents per capita - on average, less than three percent. “Fewer, older, more diverse” are often terms used to describe demographic change in Germany. In suburban and rural areas demographic change strongly reflects the first two of these three attributes. In economically dynamic, greater metropolitan areas, however, populations are increasingly more diverse, and perhaps surprisingly, are growing younger on average.
Immigration to Germany follows the so-called „Mattha?us Principle“ – the demographically prosperous become even “richer” in population. The type of “trend amplification” applies to average age patterns in cities. Those cities that are rejuvenated by internal migration are then positively reinforced -in a demographic sense- by higher immigrants, who themselves are on average younger than the German population. Future immigration to Germany will likely underline gaps between demographically “rich” and “poor” areas. Rural regions in particular will have to develop a strong “welcoming culture” to new, and likely international, residents if they want to prevent an impending demographic implosion.