Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Germany
Germany: Over-qualification rates by citizenship was 20.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Germany, 1995–2025
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
Germany recorded 20.4% for over-qualification rates by citizenship in 2025.
That represents a change of up 3.6% on the previous year and up 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, over-qualification rates by citizenship in Germany peaked at 24.5% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 13.3%, in 2011.
That places Germany 21st out of 45 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Germany, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 24.5% | — |
| 1996 | 24.5% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 24.5% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 24.0% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 23.9% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 23.4% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 24.0% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 22.6% | -5.8% |
| 2004 | 22.8% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 22.2% | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 21.7% | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 21.0% | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 21.5% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 21.4% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 21.3% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 13.3% | -37.6% |
| 2012 | 18.1% | +36.1% |
| 2013 | 18.3% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 19.1% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 18.5% | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 19.1% | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 19.2% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 19.0% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 18.5% | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 20.2% | +9.2% |
| 2021 | 20.4% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 20.4% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 20.2% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 19.7% | -2.5% |
| 2025 | 20.4% | +3.6% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 20.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 20.1%, 1.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Germany's 20.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.0%, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Germany changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | -37.6% | 21.3% | 13.3% |
| 2012 | +36.1% | 13.3% | 18.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.4% | 24.0% | 24.5% | 4 |
| 2000s | 22.4% | 21.0% | 24.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.4% | 13.3% | 21.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.2% | 19.7% | 20.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 20 Italy 20.6% compare
- 21 Bosnia and Herzegovina 20.4% compare
- 21 France 20.4% compare
- 24 North Macedonia 20.3% compare
More reference data data for Germany
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 16.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 15.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 9.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 80.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 10.56 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is over-qualification rates by citizenship in Germany?
- Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Germany was 20.4% in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 24.5% in 1995.
- What is the lowest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.3% in 2011.
- How does Germany rank for over-qualification rates by citizenship?
- Germany ranks 21st out of 45 countries with data for 2025.
- Is over-qualification rates by citizenship rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Over-qualification rates by citizenship. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).