German Asians have been present in Germany in small numbers since the 19th century and originate primarily from countries like Vietnam, China, Thailand, India, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Japan or the Philippines.
However, these numbers do not include Western Asians such as Anatolian Turks, Kurds, Assyrians, Mizrahi Jews, Arabs or Iranians.
During the mid to late 19th and early 20th century many seamen and students resided in the Hamburg district of St. Pauli, forming a Chinatown.
Under these agreements, guest workers from Vietnam were brought to East Germany, where they soon made up the largest immigrant group and were provided with technical training.
Since the early 1990s there has been an influx of Thai people, South Koreans, Indonesians and Filipinos coming to Germany as nurses, au pairs or employees.