International migration to Berlin 2017: Where Americans, Asians and South Americans settle

Berlin is still roughly 250,000 residents short of the four-million mark. Growth has slowed somewhat from the surges of recent years, yet at least 30,000 people still arrive annually. The data shows that growth is primarily driven by international migration. Where these newcomers settle matters for the housing market.

Our analysis draws on data from the Berlin-Brandenburg Office of Statistics for 2017. Despite some imprecision in the interfaces between government agencies, clear location preferences can be derived when looking at net figures.

Asia: Lichtenberg as anchor

For migrants from China, Vietnam, India, and Indonesia, clear patterns emerge. Traditionally, the Vietnamese community is well established in Lichtenberg. In absolute numbers, however, more Chinese and Indian citizens arrived in Berlin in 2017. At the neighborhood level, Alt-Lichtenberg is the top destination for Chinese citizens. For Indians, Lichtenberg also leads at the borough level, but the most registrations at the neighborhood level were around Sparrplatz in Wedding. Indonesians also favor Lichtenberg and Wedding. In the western part of the city, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf keeps appearing among the top destinations.

Japan: Established residential areas preferred

Japanese citizens show a different pattern. They tend toward the established residential neighborhoods of Wilmersdorf and Charlottenburg. Mitte is nearly on par.

USA and Canada: The familiar favorites

Americans and Canadians prefer the well-known cultural hubs: Kreuzberg, Mitte, and Prenzlauer Berg lead the list.

South America: Varying preferences

Brazilians gravitate toward Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg, while Argentinians in 2017 moved to Friedrichshain and Neukoelln.

Russia: Charlottenburg losing its draw

For Russian arrivals, Charlottenburg, historically known as "Charlottengrad," is losing its relative importance. Charlottenburg was popular among Russian expats as far back as the 1920s, and again after the fall of the Wall. In 2017, most new registrations from Russia went to Mitte and Tempelhof.

[Charts] This section contained interactive charts showing arrivals by country of origin.

The origin of newcomers shapes the type of apartments in demand: young creatives from South America prefer different locations than IT specialists from India. Families from the US look for different infrastructure than students from China. These preferences create micro-markets and influence rents at the neighborhood level. We can provide this data visualized and prepared down to the neighborhood level on request.