German Emigration to Vienna Surges as 97,000 Leave in 2025 FAST-MOVING
In 2025 a net outflow of 97,000 Germans left the country, up from 81,000 the previous year, continuing a trend that has persisted since 2005. The Federal Statistical Office reports that about 239,500 German citizens were residing in Austria at the start of 2025, a 2.9 % increase over 2024. Of these, 74,185 lived in Vienna, making Germans the third‑largest foreign‑born group in the city after Serbs and Turks. Affordable housing – rents in Vienna are roughly half those in Munich – and higher pension benefits are quoted as key attractions for the migrants.
The migration flow reflects ongoing intra‑EU mobility, with the Swiss and Austrian markets traditionally drawing German emigrants, but Vienna now stands out as the primary Austrian destination.
Entities: Airbnb · Austria · Booking.com · German Federal Ministry of Finance · German Federal Statistical Office · German citizens · German retirees · Germany · HomeToGo · Michelle Schwefel · Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · Swiss Federal Statistical Office
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] For later cohorts the pension tax‑free allowance reduces to 15.5 % in 2027 and 15 % in 2028.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The pension tax‑free allowance is fixed at retirement and does not increase with pension rises.
- [● 4 SOURCES] Pensions exceeding the allowance are taxed only on the amount above the allowance.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The 2026 basic tax‑free allowance is €12,348 for singles and €24,696 for married couples.
- [● 4 SOURCES] New retirees in 2026 must tax 84 % of their gross pension, with 16 % permanently tax‑free.
- [● 4 SOURCES] German pensions will increase by 4.24 % in July 2026. (f3039173-6ef9-4c34-9a6f-27729bb1b671, 1d0dbb39-384c-41d3-bf63-6c4c40c9d998, d7da28ea-75ab-46e7-bfe8-828012583197, bdb064)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Before the increase, about 41 % of German retirees already paid income tax on their pensions.
- [● 4 SOURCES] Pension increases are fully taxable for existing retirees because the allowance is frozen.
- [● 5 SOURCES] At the start of 2025 about 239,500 Germans were living in Austria, up 2.9 % from 2024. (Statistisches Bundesamt)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Germany has experienced continuous net emigration of its citizens since 2005. (Statistisches Bundesamt)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Vienna had 74,185 German citizens at the start of 2025, making them the third‑largest foreign‑born group after Serbs (98,940) and Turks (77,270). (City of Vienna statistics)
- [● 5 SOURCES] In 2025 a net outflow of about 97,000 German citizens left Germany. (Statistisches Bundesamt)