Numbers of foreign students in North Rhine-Westphalia: doubling in just 10 years!

Numbers of foreign students in North Rhine-Westphalia: doubling in just 10 years!

The number of foreign students in North Rhine-Westphalia has experienced an impressive development over the last ten years. According to it.nrw, it has increased from around 214,600 in the 2014/15 school year to around 441,100 in the current 2024/25 school year. This means the number has more than doubled. This can be seen above all against the background that the total number of students in North Rhine-Westphalia has stagnated at around 2.5 million. The proportion of foreigners in the total number of students has increased from 8.4% to 17.5%.

A particularly striking aspect is the increase in students from crisis regions, especially from Syria and Ukraine. Over a third of foreign students have either Syrian or Ukrainian citizenship. This school year, the number of Syrian students is almost 88,000, while around 56,000 come from Ukraine. This increase is inextricably linked to refugee movements due to conflicts in these countries.

A look at the countries of origin

But that's not all. The number of students from Iraq and Afghanistan has also grown significantly. In addition, current statistics show a notable increase in students with Romanian, Polish and Bulgarian nationality. The number of Romanian and Bulgarian students has more than quadrupled and is now around 39,500.

In contrast, we are seeing a decline in Turkish youth. Their numbers have fallen by a dramatic 70.6% compared to 2014/15. There was also a decline of 17.3% among Italian students. The statistics come from official surveys, which, however, can only record one nationality per student. In recent years, the absolute number of students has been rounded for data protection reasons.

Survey of newly immigrated students

Particularly in light of current immigration, the Ministry of Schools and Education in North Rhine-Westphalia regularly collects data on newly immigrated students. This data has been collected since March 30, 2022 and focuses on young people who are attending a German school for the first time and do not have sufficient knowledge of German. This information is essential to accurately reflect the number of students coming from Ukraine. The context of these surveys is particularly characterized by the high level of immigration from Ukraine, reports schulministerium.nrw.

This shows that the school landscape in North Rhine-Westphalia is subject to constant change, especially due to the high level of diversity that has now taken hold. This also comes with a responsibility for education policy, which must ensure that all students receive the best possible education, regardless of where they come from.