We’ve heard it many times already and we’ll probably hear many more – immigration, especially of skilled workers, is becoming increasingly important for Germany to rally its economy, and maintaining major services as well as the healthcare and pension systems.
Hence the roll out of the Skilled Immigration Act, and other measures, intended to make moving to and integrating in Germany a bit easier, and therefore hopefully attract some much needed workers.
But for those that take the bait, moving to Deutschland and taking up work here can be more or less rewarding, and data suggests significant differences in income depending on one’s nationality.
So which populations of foreign nationals earn the most in Germany, and why is that?
Who earns the most in Germany?
Unsurprisingly, older workers tend to earn a bit more than younger ones. According to a recent study by the German Economic Institute (IW), people aged 45 and over earn a higher median monthly wage (€3,971 before tax) than those aged 25 to 44 (€3,810).
Also, taken as a whole, Germans tend to earn about €900 more than the immigrant population – the median monthly wage for German citizens being €3,945 as compared to people with foreign citizenship whose median wage is €3,034.
That said, some specific foreign populations have median wages that are well above that of German citizens and other groups.
According to IW’s report, Indians living in Germany have the highest median wage at €5,359 per month.
The IW notes that the main reason for the population’s high wage level is that about a third of them work in high-paying academic STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) professions.
After Indians, US citizens in Germany are the next best paid immigrant group on average. They are followed by Austrians, the Irish and people from the UK, northern Europeans and then the Chinese.
Immigrant populations from Switzerland/Lichtenstein, Brazil, Benelux, and France/Monaco also have higher median wages than the figure for Germany overall.
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Who earns the least in Germany?
The IW found that full-time employees from Bulgaria (€2,520), Romania (€2,611) and Syria (€2,657) have the lowest median wages compared to other groups.
The report notes that immigrants from these nationalities are more likely to be employed in so-called “helper activities” (Helfertätigkeiten beschäftigt), or work that doesn’t require vocational training or higher education degrees.
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Interestingly, the IW found that median wages for these groups had higher year-on-year increases. Wages for Syrians rose by 5.5 percent in 2024 compared to 2023, and wages for Bulgarians rose by 7.7 percent. That’s compared to a rise of 2.5 percent among Indians, for example.
What does nationality have to do with income?
Of the career paths to choose in Germany, academic STEM professions are among the highest paying. For professionals over 45 in these careers, the median wages, regardless of nationality, tend to be above €7,100, the report found.
Among the Indian population in Germany, the proportion of workers in this field is exceptionally high.
Other foreign populations with high median wages, such as Americans or Austrians, also have higher proportions of workers in these and other high-paying jobs.
While the number of Germans in these positions continues to grow, the number of foreign workers in these positions is growing at a much faster rate: The IW found that from 2012 to 2023 employment in academic STEM occupations increased by 41.7 percent among Germans, and by 215.7 percent among foreigners.
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