German survey:

Every fourth pupil has an immigrant background

More than one in four pupils in Germany has an immigrant background. Last year, this applied to 29 percent of pupils at general education schools, as announced by the Federal Statistical Office on Tuesday. Among teachers, the proportion is significantly lower at eleven percent. By comparison, around one in four of the German population has such a background.

"A person has a history of immigration if they themselves or both parents have immigrated to Germany since 1950," explained the statisticians. In a further twelve percent of the student body, only one parent has immigrated to Germany, while 59 percent have no history of immigration. Among teachers, five have only one immigrant parent, while 84 percent have no immigrant background.

The trend is pointing upwards
"The proportion of people with a history of immigration has risen over the past five years, both among pupils and teachers at general education schools," say the statisticians. In 2018, it was just under 26 percent of pupils at general education schools, three percentage points less than in the previous year (29 percent). Among teachers, the proportion was just under nine percent in 2018, two percentage points lower than in the previous year.

The data is based on the so-called microcensus. In this sample survey, around one percent of the population in Germany is questioned each year. All information is based on self-reporting by the participants. In order to be able to make statements about the overall population from the data collected, the data is extrapolated using the key figures from the population update.