Germany's population has shrunk by 1.5m, first census since reunification shows The new census for the European Union's most populous country measured the number of people living in Germany on May 9, 2011, federal statistics office Destatis said today. Last year, researchers suggested that a massive wave of immigration could see the German population soar by 2.2million by 2017 as people flee the crisis-ridden economies of southern Europe. Researchers at the Kiel Economics studied net migration to Germany over 50 years, and predicted that as euro-zone countries battle with their economic woes the relative strength and low unemployment rates of Germany will become an attractive lure. Germany is already a popular destination for young and skilled Greeks, Spaniard and Portuguese, who have grown disheartened with the high unemployment rates and struggling economies that have become hallmarks of their homelands.