The Federal Statistical Office has published the recognition figures for 2025. The BIBB Recognition Monitoring Project takes a closer look at figures on federal occupations.
The growth trend is continuing. The number of applications for recognition broke the previous record once again in 2025. This means that applications have almost doubled within five years. The results of the recognition statistics of the Federal Government and federal states are presented in today’s press release (19/08/2026) issued by the Federal Statistical Office. They show a significant rise, although the increase is not as sharp as in the preceding years. Around 76,200 applications were submitted. This represents a growth of 7 percent compared to the previous year. Professions and occupations for which the federal states are responsible accounted for about 16,500 applications (22 percent). Approximately 59,750 applications (78 percent) related to professions and occupations which are subject to federal law.
The BIBB Recognition Monitoring Project evaluates the official recognition statistics on professions and occupations governed by federal law. This highlights how the recognition process for federal occupations is developing and also identifies the key trends which are emerging. An overview of selected main focuses is presented below.
Countries of training providing the basis for the professional and vocational qualifications
The largest numbers of applications concerned professional and vocational qualifications from Turkey (around 6,600 applications), Syria (around 4,700 applications) and Ukraine (around 4,500 applications). Of these countries, Syria and Ukraine in particular exhibited high levels of growth compared to the previous year. The rate of increase was more than 30 percent in both cases. There was also a rise in demand for recognition of professional and vocational qualifications from Egypt (around 3,000 applications) and from Morocco (around 2,500 applications). The increases in the number of applications in these two cases were 88 percent and 45 percent respectively, a significant upturn compared to the previous year (2024).
Professions and occupations with the most applications
Demand for recognition in medical professions governed by the Federal Government clearly dominated proceedings once more. The largest number of applications by some distance again involved the professions of general nurse (around 21,500 applications) and doctor (around 12,900 applications). The application figures varied by profession in this regard. Whereas a slight decline was recorded in the number of persons seeking recognition as a qualified nurse (-4 percent), there was a rise in applications for the profession of doctor (+19 percent). Clear increases were also particularly seen in the professions and occupations of pharmacist (+42 percent), electronics technician for industrial engineering (+30 percent), cook (+26 percent), physiotherapist (+24 percent) and dentist (+23 percent).
Outcomes of the recognition procedures
A decision was reached in around 73,600 recognition procedures in 2025. The results again revealed a high degree of eligibility for recognition. Around 32,000 procedures (44 percent) concluded with the determination of full equivalence. A compensation measure was imposed in around 33,100 other procedures (45 percent). This mechanism applies to regulated professions and means that full equivalence can be accorded upon successful completion of the compensation measure stipulated. Almost 7,300 procedures (10 percent) ended in partial equivalence. Such an outcome is only possible in the case of non-regulated occupations. It creates transparency in respect of existing qualifications and with regard to substantial differences to the German reference occupation and thus offers important guidance to applicants and employers alike in terms of matters such as training measures or precisely tailored deployment at the company. Procedures resulting in a negative outcome remained the exception. Less than 2 percent ended in this way.
What the figures show
The German labour market is reliant on qualified skilled workers from across the globe. Against this background, the new record figures for professional recognition should be viewed in a positive light. Numbers of applications and procedures have been growing for years, and this shows the following. There is a strong demand for recognition as an instrument for securing a supply of skilled workers, and the system is becoming increasingly significant for the integration of international qualified labour.
The rising numbers of applications and of completed recognition procedures underline the growing importance of professional recognition for ensuring the availability of a qualified workforce. Recognition assists with the labour market acquisition of urgently required skilled workers, especially in areas with particular shortages such as the healthcare sector.
In order to make even better use of this potential, continuation of the current measures aimed at optimising recognition procedures and refinement of processes on an ongoing basis will remain essential.
Background information: The Federal Recognition Act entered into force on 1 April 2012. It facilitates the recognition of professional and vocational qualifications obtained abroad irrespective of nationality, country of training, residence status and place of residence. The Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ) has commissioned the BIBB Recognition Monitoring Project with the task of observing the implementation of the Federal Recognition Act. The BIBB Recognition Monitoring Project evaluates the figures of the official recognition statistics within this context. The BIBB Recognition Monitoring Project forms part of the BIBB-Kompetenzzentrum Berufsanerkennung.
More information
Evaluation of the official statistics on the Federal Recognition Act 2025
Statistics on the federal act – results in brief
Press release from the Federal Statistical Office
Federal Statistical Office analyses of federal and federal state occupations (statistical report)
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