Background: After losing a population of more than 1.2 million through migration to the West, in 2017 East Germany recorded net internal migration gains for the very first time since reunification. Objective: In consideration of this trend reversal, we investigate internal migration patterns between East and West Germany since reunification and discuss their consequences for population dynamics. Methods: We use annual inter-county migration flows for the period 1991 to 2018 to calculate the yearly total number of registered moves and internal migration rates differentiated by citizenship, age, and sex. Results: East Germany currently experiences small net population gains through internal migration among almost all age groups and noticeable net population losses only among labor market entrants (25–29 year olds). In addition, the results show that men have dominated West-East migration throughout the entire study period and East-West migration since about 2008. Conclusions: Internal migration between East and West Germany has changed significantly since reunification. The continuing population losses among labor market entrants reveal that the West German labor market is still more attractive for young adults. The sex differences in migration propensities show that the shortages of women in many rural regions of East Germany cannot be solely explained by exceeding female East-West migration. Contribution: In 2017, East Germany experienced population gains thanks to internal migration for the first time since reunification. We provide scientific evidence to place the current migration trend reversal into context and highlight the selective nature of migration flows between East and West Germany.

中文翻译：

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1991年至2018年期间东德与西德之间的内部移民的转变

背景：在因移民到西方而失去超过120万人的人口之后，东德在2017年实现了统一以来的首次内部移民净收入。目的：考虑到这种趋势的逆转，我们研究了统一以来东西德之间的内部迁移模式，并讨论了它们对人口动态的影响。方法：我们使用1991年至2018年的年度县际迁移流量，计算出按公民身份，年龄和性别区分的每年已登记的迁移总数和内部迁移率。结果：目前，东德几乎所有年龄段的人都通过内部移民获得了少量的净人口增长，只有在劳动力市场进入者（25-29岁）中才出现明显的净人口减少。此外，结果表明，在整个研究期间，男性主导着整个东西方移民，而自2008年以来，东西方移民一直占据主导地位。结论：自统一以来，东西德之间的内部移民发生了显着变化。劳动力市场进入者中持续的人口流失表明，西德劳动力市场对年轻人仍然更具吸引力。移民倾向的性别差异表明，东德许多农村地区的妇女短缺不能仅通过东西方女性移民的增加来解释。贡献：2017年，东德自统一以来首次因内部移民而经历了人口增长。