LivePublished March 24, 2026last updated March 24, 2026Just under a quarter of Germans think the country would be overwhelmed by any future wave of migrants fleeing war in Iran. Meanwhile, figures show about four million employed Germans work night hours. DW has the latest.https://p.dw.com/p/5AzilRoutes through Turkey would be key in determining whether any significant refugee wave would reach Europe
Image: Dilara Senkaya/REUTERSSkip next section What you need to knowWhat you need to know
73% of Germans think the country would not be able to cope with any refugee wave from Iran
The majority of center-left and socialist voters agreed that an influx of those fleeing the war would be a problem
Figures show that about four million Germans work during the night
Younger people and men are more likely to do night shifts
Here is a roundup of the latest updates from across Germany on Tuesday, March 24.
Skip next section Majority in Germany wary of Iranian refugee waveMarch 24, 2026Majority in Germany wary of Iranian refugee waveMost people in Germany have expressed concern about the country's ability to take in more refugees from Iran amid rising tensions in the region.
A Forsa poll found 73% believe Germany would not cope well with additional Iranian refugees, with particularly high skepticism among the conservative CDU/CSU bloc and far-right Alternative for Germany supporters, but also a majority among center-left Social Democrat and socialist Left voters.
Only Green supporters said they largely would not expect major problems from additional arrivals.
The debate comes as fighting and repression in Iran intensify, raising concerns about possible migration flows.
However, international organizations say there are currently no clear signs of a large-scale exodus from Iran.
Germany already hosts Europe’s largest Iranian diaspora, with about 319,000 people of Iranian origin, including around 128,000 German citizens.
Germany has experienced several large refugee inflows in recent years, shaping its migration policy and public debate.
The largest wave came in 2015–2016, when more than 1 million asylum seekers — many from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan — arrived. Germany has also been taking in Ukrainians after Russia launched its invasion in February 2022. Many Syrians living in Germany want to stayTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5AzswSkip next section Nearly 1 in 10 employees in Germany work nightsMarch 24, 2026Nearly 1 in 10 employees in Germany work nightsMetal production was among the sectors where night workers were most needed, with steel mills constantly in useImage: Lukas Schulze/Getty ImagesNearly one in ten workers in Germany worked at night at least occasionally in 2024, according to new official data.
Statistics office figures show around 4 million of 42.6 million workers were active between 11 pm and 6 am.
Men were almost twice as likely to work nights, at 11.7%, compared with 6.5% of women.
Night work declines with age, with 10.6% of under-35s working overnight, compared with 7.4% among those over 55. The figure for those in between was 9.4%.
The highest shares were in aviation at 42.6% and security services at 40.2%, followed by metal production at 31.1%.
Transport and logistics, healthcare, and hospitality also recorded above-average levels.
By contrast, night work was rare in construction preparation, IT services, and education.
https://p.dw.com/p/5AzmMSkip next section Welcome to our coverageMarch 24, 2026Welcome to our coverageGuten Tag from DW's newsroom in Bonn.
You join us as we discover that about four million German employees work some of their hours overnight.
That's about one in ten workers, with men significantly more likely than women to do night shifts.
Some sectors are more likely to require staff to work through the small hours than others.
Stay with us to find out more about this and other stories from Germany on Tuesday, March 24.
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