This study was conducted to examine how the internal migration from East- to West Germany has developed over 30 years, from 1990 to 2020. The purpose of this study is to examine the motives for the migration decisions of East Germans, as well as examine the consequences of East-West-Migration in Germany. This is a litterature study and the theories that have been used are different migration theories, where the focus lays on the economic theories. The conclusion of this study is that internal migration in Germany has had different waves and shapes, and the scale of internal migration depends on which period it is about. Reasons for relocation are individual, but gender and age have played an important role for the migration decision. The consequences of internal migration in Germany are the loss of human capital of qualified people in East Germany, as well as change in the population structure.

People are emotional about places. I study the effect of regional identity (“at home”) on internal migration flows in Germany between 1995 and 2017. Regional identity is proxied by measuring how NUTS3 regions were historically affiliated in the former patchwork of Germany. When controlling for the influence of distance, culture (measured by dialects) and regional characteristics, I confirm that regional identity drives migration patterns additionally. Employing the separation effect by the German wall affirms that not only earlier migration or family bonds determine movements instead of regional identity.