Germans earn 23% more than migrant workers, data reveals

In Germany, workers born within the country earn significantly more than their migrant counterparts, according to data obtained from an information request by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. As of the end of 2025, the median monthly salary for German citizens was 4.396 euros before tax, while migrant residents earned a median of 3.358 euros.

This equates to a 23.6 percent income gap between the two groups. Median income is calculated to ensure that an equal number of workers earn more and an equal number earn less, thus preventing extremely high earners from skewing the data. The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs revealed that migrants are more likely to be employed in low-paying jobs.

Thirty-six percent of migrant workers in Germany currently hold low-paying jobs, compared to only 12.3 percent of German citizens. Low-paid jobs are defined as those where employees earn less than two-thirds of the German median wage. The Federal Employment Office and the federal government attribute wage disparities to factors such as education, qualifications, and work experience.

People without professional qualifications earned a median income of 3.133 euros in 2025, while those with qualifications earned a median income of 4.069 euros. Among academics, the median income increased to 6.146 euros per month. A study by the German Economic Institute found that the more skilled migrant workers are in Germany's language, the higher their pay.

However, the current CDU/CSU-SPD government has indicated it will not heed this advice, planning to reduce state funding for integration courses from over one billion euros in 2026 to around 590 million euros in 2027.