About 2.7 million people left East Germany for the West between 1949 and the Berlin Wall’s construction in 1961.
The departures occurred during the existence of the German Democratic Republic, founded in 1949, and were concentrated in the years before the Wall sealed Berlin’s crossing points. Berlin was especially important because people could often move from East Berlin into West Berlin and then continue to West Germany or another Western country.
This population loss was a major political and economic crisis for East Germany. Those leaving included skilled workers, professionals, students, and younger residents. The exodus is commonly called the Republikflucht, or “flight from the Republic.” East German leaders regarded it as a threat to the state, while critics saw the construction of the Wall as an attempt to imprison the population rather than address the reasons people wanted to leave. The barrier sharply reduced the flow of emigrants.