Syrians are the youngest migrant group in Germany, new figures have revealed.
More than half of Germany’s 1.2 million people with Syrian roots are under 30.
Their average age of 25 brings Germany’s overall average down to 44, in a country where millions are reaching retirement age.
People from Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Lebanon are among the other youngest groups.
Refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine helped to swell Germany’s migrant population to a new high in 2022.
About 28.7 per cent of Germany’s population has a migrant background, according to figures from its official statistics agency released this week.
This includes people whose parents migrated to Germany or took up German nationality.
Syrians made up one in six new arrivals in the past decade, with huge numbers reaching Germany during 2015 and 2016.
Their arrival was politically explosive — but the figures give a snapshot of a young Syrian community putting down roots in Germany.
As they start to complete what is typically an eight-year citizenship process, 15,000 Syrians became German citizens last year.
Some got there early after excelling at language and citizenship tests.
Another 181,000 Syrian-born migrants have arrived in the past five years, after the peak of the refugee wave.
Many have had children in Germany. About one in six of those with a Syrian background did not migrate themselves.
About 495,000 people of Syrian heritage are children or teenagers, and a similar number are aged between 20 and 39.
Together, the under-40s make up 80 per cent of those with Syrian roots.
Families of Syrian origin have more children than average in Germany, which has a low birth rate.
A typical household with a Syrian-born member has three people including one child. By contrast, only every third household across Germany includes a child.
Only about 27,000 people, a small fraction of the total Syrian community, are aged 60 or above.
By contrast, there are 23.8 million over-60s in Germany, more than a quarter of the population.
Among school leavers, about 269,000 people of Syrian heritage have completed Germany’s equivalent of A-Levels.
There are 66,000 who have completed a university degree, including 9,000 with a master’s degree.
In total, there are about 695,000 men and 530,000 women of Syrian background in Germany, with men considerably more likely to be part of the labour force.
A little more than half of the members of the Syrian community speak German in addition to their native language.
While the majority of them primarily speak Arabic at home, one in six mainly speaks Kurdish, according to official figures.
Young Arab men in particular have come under the microscope of right-wing politicians, who point the finger at them for committing crimes and causing disorder.
But in a country with so many retirees, some ministers are looking to loosen migration rules to plug gaps in the labour market.
While debate still rages about the decision to open Germany's doors in 2015, success stories include the election this month of Ryyan Alshebl as the first town mayor who arrived from Syria that year.
The government plans to bring in “pre-integration” courses to start teaching German to future migrants before they arrive.
Almost 60,000 people of Syrian background live in Berlin, long a hub of Middle East culture in Germany.
There are also substantial groups in the city-states of Bremen and Hamburg and in the western Ruhr area.
Among other migrant groups, the long-standing Turkish community remains the largest.
Many people moved from Turkey in the 1960s and 1970s under a “guest worker” programme in what was then West Germany.
About 2.8 million people in Germany have a Turkish background, although fewer than half as many were themselves born in Turkey.
They are older on average at 52, and have typically been in Germany for more than 30 years, compared to a typical seven-year stay for the younger Syrian community.
Those with Syrian roots are the fifth-largest migrant group after people from Poland and two former Soviet countries, Russia and Kazakhstan, many of whom were displaced by the Second World War or the Iron Curtain.
Germany is home to about 425,000 people of Afghan origin, including some who arrived after the Taliban seized control of the country in 2021.
There are also about 393,000 people with roots in Iraq, 304,000 in Iran, 257,000 in Morocco and 242,000 in other North African countries.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Fixtures
Wednesday
4.15pm: Japan v Spain (Group A)
5.30pm: UAE v Italy (Group A)
6.45pm: Russia v Mexico (Group B)
8pm: Iran v Egypt (Group B)
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
WISH
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chris%20Buck%2C%20Fawn%20Veerasunthorn%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ariana%20DeBose%2C%20Chris%20Pine%2C%20Alan%20Tudyk%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FIXTURES
All games 6pm UAE on Sunday:
Arsenal v Watford
Burnley v Brighton
Chelsea v Wolves
Crystal Palace v Tottenham
Everton v Bournemouth
Leicester v Man United
Man City v Norwich
Newcastle v Liverpool
Southampton v Sheffield United
West Ham v Aston Villa
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Manchester United v Barcelona, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Match info
Bournemouth 0
Liverpool 4 (Salah 25', 48', 76', Cook 68' OG)
Man of the match: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2
(Martial 30', McTominay 90 6')
Manchester City 0
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
MATCH INFO
Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.
Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Sterling 46', De Bruyne 65', Gundogan 70')
Aston Villa 0
Red card: Fernandinho (Manchester City)
Man of the Match: Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
