Frankfurt, May 28 (IANS/DPA): The number of people granted German citizenship reached the highest level last year since records began in 2000.

The number of naturalisations rose by 19 per cent compared to the previous year, having already risen by 28 per cent in 2022, the Federal Statistical Office reported on Tuesday.

In absolute figures, around 2,00,100 people were naturalised in 2023.

People from 157 different nationalities were granted German citizenship in 2023, the most common being Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Romania and Afghanistan. Together, these countries accounted for more than half of all naturalisations.

Naturalised citizens were 29.3-years-old on average and, therefore, significantly younger than the population as a whole. At 45 per cent, the proportion of women was lower than in the population as a whole.

Former Syrian nationals made up the largest group of naturalised citizens, accounting for more than a third of all naturalisations. Their number increased by a further 56 per cent compared to the previous year.

In 2022, this figure had already more than doubled compared to the previous year and even increased sevenfold in 2021.

"The high number of naturalisations of Syrians is therefore related to the high immigration of Syrian asylum seekers in the years 2014 to 2016, who now increasingly meet the requirements for naturalisation," the office reported.

The number of naturalisations of Ukrainians rose by six per cent to 5,900 in 2023 after almost tripling from 1,900 to 5,600 from 2021 to 2022.

Naturalisations of Ukrainian citizens accounted for three per cent of all naturalisations in 2023.