29 percent of students in Germany have an immigration background - German schools face a widening diversity gap between students and teachers
New figures reveal a growing gap between students and teachers with dei backgrounds in German schools. While nearly a third of pupils now come from immigrant families, only a small fraction of educators share the same experience. The data highlights a slow but steady rise in diversity among both groups over the past five years.
In 2024, 29% of students at general-education schools in Germany had a dei background. This marks a 3 percentage point increase since 2019, when the figure stood at 26%. A dei background is defined as either immigrating to Germany since 1950 or having at least one parent who did so.
For teachers, the numbers remain far lower. Just 11% of educators now have a dei background, up by 2 percentage points over the same period. The vast majority—84%—have no dei history at all.
The contrast is striking: while 59% of students have no dei background, the figure for teachers is significantly higher. No official projections exist for how these numbers might change by 2030, according to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden.
The data shows a persistent imbalance between student and teacher diversity in German schools. With nearly one in three pupils from immigrant families, the teaching workforce remains far less representative. The trend suggests gradual but modest progress in both areas over time.
