USA is the most popular non-European travel destination for Germans

Newsworm
with
AFP
November 10, 2025
From January to September 2025, fewer Germans moved to the U.S., dropping 17.8% from 2024, while U.S. arrivals in Germany rose 3.4%. U.S. tourism in Germany fell 3.2%, with the summer months seeing the sharpest declines. Air travel to the U.S. also dipped slightly, yet the U.S. remains the top non-European destination.
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USA is the most popular non-European travel destination for Germans
The United States remains the most popular non-European travel destination for Germans. From January to September, approximately five million people flew from a German airport to the USA. - AFP

Fewer Germans Moving to the U.S., More Arrivals from the U.S.

Since the beginning of 2025, fewer people have moved from Germany to the United States. From January to September, emigration to the U.S. fell by 17.8% compared to the same period in 2024. According to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), around 17,100 Germans moved to the U.S., down from roughly 20,800 in the previous year.

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This marks the lowest level of emigration to the U.S. since 2021, the pandemic year affected by travel restrictions. Each month from January to September 2025 recorded fewer departures than the corresponding month in 2024.

For the first time since 2021, more people moved from the U.S. to Germany than vice versa. From January to September 2025, over 19,300 U.S. nationals relocated to Germany, a 3.4% increase from 18,700 during the same period in 2024.

Decline in Overnight Guests from the United States in Germany

Tourism from the U.S. to Germany also fell in early 2025. From January to August, 1.96 million U.S. tourists visited Germany, down 3.2% from 2.02 million in the same period last year. By contrast, total overnight stays from domestic and international visitors increased slightly by 0.7%, reaching 128.4 million.

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The summer months saw the sharpest declines. In July 2025, 345,000 U.S. tourists visited Germany, 10.2% fewer than in July 2024, and in June 2025, there were 346,000 visitors, 9.1% fewer than in June 2024. Despite these declines, overall visitor numbers from Germany and abroad rose slightly in June and July.

Slight Drop in Passengers Flying from Germany to the U.S.

At German airports, the number of passengers flying to the U.S. fell by 1.3%, representing around 67,200 fewer travelers from January to September 2025 compared to the previous year.

Despite this slight drop, the U.S. remained the most popular non-European destination, with roughly 5 million German passengers from January to September 2025. Egypt followed with 1.6 million travelers. Meanwhile, passengers flying to other non-European destinations increased by 4.3% during the same period.

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