Germany Opened its Doors to a Million Refugees. Here's How Society Changed.
Simon Whistler · May 26, 2025 · 25 min video · Europe & NATO
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From the transcript
It was one of the most consequential decisions of the last decade. Nearly 10 years ago, Angela Merkel's government opened the doors to asylum seekers fleeing wars in the Middle East. What followed was an influx unlike anything seen for a generation.
Roughly one million Syrians came to Germany, along with hundreds of thousands of Afghans and Iraqis. While migrant numbers in 2015 and 2016 were high across the whole of Europe, nowhere was as accepting as Germany. A sentiment summed up by Merkel's crowd, or we can do this.
Well, 10 years on, and the jury still out on whether the country handled it or not. In the workforce, in crime statistics, in economic growth, in politics, everywhere you look, the impact of that momentous decision is still visible, like ripples on a pond spreading slowly outward to touch every corner of society.
This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.
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About this briefing
Germany welcomed a million Syrian refugees. A decade later, we unpack the economic shifts, social tensions, and political upheavals that reshaped the nation—and ask: was it worth it?
