German population hits 81.2 million
September 24, 2015![](https://static.dw.com/image/18736699_800.webp)
The number of people living in Germany at the end of 2014 increased by a half of a percent to reach 81.2 million residents, the German statistical agency said on Thursday.
The population rose by 430,000 people compared to 244,000, or 0.3 percent, in 2013.
The statistical agency attributed the increase to the "strong increase in immigration" as there were more deaths than births in the aging population.
Around 550,000 people immigrated to Germany in 2014 compared to 429,000 in the previous year, bringing the total number of immigrants in the country to 7.5 million, or 9.3 percent of the total population.
Europe faces the largest influx of migrants since World War II as hundreds of thousands flee conflicts in Africa and the Middle East.
As many as 1 million migrants may arrive in Germany this year.