The Federal Government Commissioner for Integration, of the Federal Government, published on the same day. They show both increased participation in the, Natalie Pawlik, presented the 15th integration report to the Federal Cabinet on 11 November 2026. According to the Federal Government, the descendants of immigrants attain significantly higher educational qualifications than their parents. By contrast, the report says that people who have immigrated themselves continue to face barriers in education, the world of work and participation in society. According to the government, this is particularly true of women who have immigrated.
The report thus brings together two findings that are often treated separately in political debate: over time, educational opportunities can improve from one generation to the next. At the same time, this progress says little about how easily people can access training, employment and social life soon after immigrating.
According to the Federal Government, the report examines 14 areas. Alongside education and language, these include health, housing, income and racism. It is intended to provide a regular overview of integration trends, informed by scientific analysis. The German Centre for Integration and Migration Research produced the report on behalf of the Commissioner for Integration.
The Federal Government points to the link between higher educational qualifications and better opportunities in the labour market. It sees workplace contacts as an important factor in integration and cites vocational language courses as one way to support access to employment. Such courses are funded by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs .
For women who have immigrated, the government cites the MY TURN programme, among others. It supports projects that help women on their path into training, further qualifications and employment. It also points to a programme to promote women entrepreneurs. The government’s statement alone does not make it possible to assess whether individual measures reduce the inequalities described in the report.
The federal government also assigns a role to the Start Opportunities Programme . It is intended to promote greater equality of opportunity in education. According to the government, children from immigrant families can also benefit from it. However, responsibility for schools lies with the federal states; the programme is a joint initiative of the federal and state governments.
According to the federal government, 21.8 million people with an immigration background were living in Germany in 2025. This group includes immigrants and their descendants. The government points to their importance in securing a skilled workforce and in sectors such as health, care, hospitality and transport.
The report also serves to make developments across different areas of life comparable. The Federal Statistical Office provides the indicators on its Integration Dashboard . The data can therefore be viewed by topic, rather than measuring integration solely by a single indicator.
The previous, 14th Integration Report was published in 2024. Alongside improvements in academic skills, it identified social and educational risks for children and young people with an immigration background. The new report continues this regular monitoring. According to the federal government, it shows that progress across generations and persistent inequalities coexist.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).