An estimated 1.5 million Kurds live in Germany. This makes them one of the largest immigrant groups in Germany. The Mediendienst Integration has now summarized several studies and published the findings.
Since 2010, more than 250,000 Kurdish asylum seekers have arrived in Germany from Syria. In the meantime, however, the number of initial asylum applications from Kurds in Syria has dropped significantly in Germany: from 17,549 in 2024 to 7,848 in 2025 and 1,984 in the first half of 2026. Following the fall of the Assad regime in 2024, there have been waves of return. And the German federal government intends to increase deportations to Syria.
Situation Difficult for the Kurdish Population in Syria
According to the media service, the situation there is currently difficult for Kurds: they remain at risk. For example, in January, August, and October 2026, they were subjected to violent attacks, including by the Syrian army. The situation remains particularly unstable in the north and northeast of the country. Until now, this region had been self-administered by a Kurdish government. In January 2026, the dispute with the Syrian transitional government over independence escalated into an open military conflict. After suffering heavy losses and under international pressure, the Kurds relented: the SDF military alliance announced its dissolution in August. In return, minority rights are to be granted. In October, however, violent clashes broke out again in Hasaka, according to the Mediendienst Integration in its analysis of the situation in northeastern Syria.
Kurds from Turkey
Over the past 15 years, more than 100,000 Kurdish asylum seekers have also come to Germany from Turkey. In the meantime, however, the number of initial asylum applications has fallen again: from 21,400 in 2024 to just over 7,700 in 2025 and nearly 2,200 in the first half of 2026. One reason could be recent developments in Turkey: The self-dissolution of the militant Kurdish underground organization PKK (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê) could lead to political détente between the Turkish government and Kurds, the media service adds. At the same time, significant restrictions on this population group remain in place in Turkey.
The protection rate for Kurdish asylum seekers has been low for years. Deportations to Turkey have increased significantly, to the point that in 2025, Turkey was the most common destination for German deportations. According to the media service, it is not possible to determine how many of those deported were Kurds. Since June 2026, Turkey has generally been classified as a safe country of origin under the new EU asylum rules.
Critical Situation in Iraq as Well
Following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq at the end of September 2026, Kurds are also at greater risk there. They govern the north under an autonomous self-administration, with their own armed forces. According to the online portal tagesschau.de, there are fears of a resurgence of the terrorist organization ISIS and Iranian incursions by militias. Nevertheless, deportations to Iraq have increased, including those of Yazidis, even though the German Bundestag recognized the genocide against this ethnic group in 2023.
Kurdish Engagement in Germany
Individual studies show that Kurds in Germany tend to live primarily in the major cities and metropolitan areas of the western federal states and are politically and socially engaged to a greater extent than average. At times, however, they are discouraged from such involvement when they are broadly accused of having ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)—which has been banned in Germany since 1993—or of supporting terrorist activities.
They are also economically active in Germany. In addition to small and medium-sized family businesses in the service, retail, hospitality, and construction sectors, companies in the media, entertainment, and insurance sectors—as well as driving schools—have emerged over time. Younger generations educated in Germany are also increasingly active in professional fields such as medicine, law, education, and IT.
Discrimination and Assaults
However, studies such as that by Prof. Cinur Ghaderi of the Evangelical University of Applied Sciences Rhineland-Westphalia-Lippe also show that Kurds in Germany experience discrimination and racism. There is also a connection between international political events and attacks in Germany: For example, in January 2026, there were numerous physical and verbal attacks due to the military escalation in northeastern Syria.
The federal government assumes there is an abstract threat to Kurds in Germany. This was the response from the Ministry of the Interior to an inquiry from the Green Party parliamentary group in the Bundestag in April 2026 (https://dserver.bundestag.de/btd/21/053/2105339.pdf). The main reasons cited are Turkish nationalist and Islamist actors, as well as Iranian intelligence services that are spying on the Kurdish opposition in Germany.
Source and further information:
https://mediendienst-integration.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Expertisen/Kurden_in_Deutschland_Expertise_Mediendienst_Integration_I_Cinur_Ghaderi.pdf
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/asien/syrien-sdf-aufbruch-100.html
https://www.bpb.de/themen/kriege-konflikte/dossier-kriege-konflikte/578048/rojava-unter-druck/
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/asien/irak-usa-truppenabzug-100.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbeiterpartei_Kurdistans
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/411407779_Munchner_Kurdinnen_-_Un-sichtbare_Realitaten_zwischen_pluralen_Zugehorigkeiten_und_mehrdimensionaler_Diskriminierung
https://antikurdischer-rassismus.de/jahresbericht-antikurdischer-rassismus-2025/
https://tuenews.de/kurdische-migration-nach-deutschland-zahlen-und-fakten/
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