Number of foreigners in Germany rises

The number of foreigners in Germany in 2013 rose to a peak of more than 7.6 million, a record high since 1967, German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported on Friday. At the same time, a year-on-year rise of 5.8 percent is also a record high since 1992, according to Destatis. Three quarters of the newly-arrived foreigners in Germany were from EU countries, mostly from Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, said Destatis. Outside the EU, immigration came mainly from Syria and Russia. However, Turkish population in Germany declined by 1.6 percent in 2013, continuing the trend in previous years, according to Destatis. The most popular place of settlement for the newly-arrived foreigners in Germany was Bavaria, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Wurttemberg, while the least increase of foreigners occurred in Berlin, Destatis said.