For first Time since Reunification, Germany Sees more West-East Migration
Germany recorded bigger numbers of people moving from western states to eastern ones for the first time since reunification in 2014, data published Monday showed.
Following reunification in 1990, around 200,000 east Germans flooded to the west each year in search of jobs and better opportunities.
But the Federal Institute for Population Research said the turning point came in 2014, thanks mainly to the growing attractiveness of the German capital.
"Berlin and its surroundings have been attractive to migrants from the west. Without Berlin, net immigration would still be negative," said the institute.
Other major cities in the east, like Dresden and Leipzig, have also seen an influx, but the majority of the smaller towns continue to see depopulation.
A quarter of a century following the fall of the Berlin Wall, east Germany continues to record far higher unemployment than the west.
Source: Agence France Presse
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