The results of a study in Germany found one in five Germans aged 14-29 are planning to leave their country in search of a better life abroad, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported on Tuesday.
The study, conducted earlier this year by Germany-based research publisher Datajockey Verlag, found that a fifth of young Germans are actively planning to leave Germany, with as many as 41 percent of respondents expressing that they could imagine moving abroad in the longer term.
Respondents listed concerns over economic security amid the nation’s stagnant economy, rising house costs, weak career prospects int he face of AI, and mounting financial strain — all of which are making it harder for them to become independent — as reasons to leave Germany.
“The results of the study show in a dramatic way just how much the pressures of recent years are affecting young people — in the form of stress, exhaustion and a growing sense of a lack of prospects,” Datajockey Verlag Simon Schnetzer told DW.
The study also found an alarming rise in the worsening of mental health issues among the German youth, with a record-breaking 29 percent of respondents expressing that they need psychological support — a number that climbs to 34 percent among women, 32 percent among students, and 42 percent of unemployed young people. Equally alarming is that many participants expressed that they’re increasingly turning to AI-powered counseling services to deal with their personal problems.
Most respondents told DW that they hope for “better jobs, more affordable housing, and better retirement conditions.”
According to statistical information cited by DW in a video published on YouTube, Switzerland, Austria, and the United States were the top three most popular countries among German emigrants as of 2024.
DW also noted that the “Gen Z” generation is trending more towards “political extremes” in Germany. The outlet cited a report from Tagesschau which stated that 21 percent of Germans under the age of 25 voted for the anti-mass migration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, while 19 percent voted for the far-left Die Linke party.
The “rise of far-right” parties, DW said, is “also causing many young people to consider leaving.”
“I think that every one of my friends is thinking about it — especially if you’re racialized, if you’re part of a minority in some way,” As Riff, a social and cultural studies master’s student at Humboldt University in Berlin, told DW.
“I’m getting increasingly worried, especially since a lot of the cultural jobs, jobs that are working for democratization are being cut. I think fascism is on the rise,” she added.
“I was in Tokyo last year for three months for my PhD and I really liked it, so I’m considering moving there next year,” a 29-year-old law student from Hamburg identified as Frederick told DW. The man stressed that, in his case, it was not about money, but a matter of a different way of living.
“It was a little bit more peaceful, a little bit cleaner, in general, I would also consider living in Vienna, London or Paris,” he said.
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