BERLIN (Reuters) -The number of people moving from Germany to the United States dropped sharply in 2025 following the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, official data showed on Monday.
Between January and September, emigration to the U.S. decreased by 17.8% year-on-year to around 17,100, according to preliminary figures from Germany’s federal statistics office.
“Departures to the U.S. in the first nine months of this year were at their lowest level since the pandemic-hit year of 2021,” the office said in a statement.
Migration from the U.S. to Germany rose by 3.4% to more than 19,300 in the same period, marking the first time since 2021 that more people moved from the U.S. to Germany than vice versa.
Tourism between the two nations also declined. From January to August, 1.96 million U.S. visitors arrived in Germany, down 3.2% from the same period in 2024.
The drop was most pronounced in summer, with July arrivals falling by 10.2%.
Despite a 1.3% decline in U.S.-bound air travel, the U.S. remained the top non-European destination from German airports.
Overall, the top foreign destinations for German travellers for the period were Spain, Turkey and Italy.
In March, Germany updated its travel advisory for the U.S. to emphasise that a visa or entry waiver does not guarantee entry for its citizens after several Germans were detained at the border.
(Reporting by Rene Wagner, writing by Friederike Heine, editing by Thomas Seythal)
