When the Berlin wall fell, Germany made arrangements to absorb the former DDR (East Germany). It was an effectively bankrupt country, and the German Government had to assume control of thousands of bankrupt industrial enterprises (firms like Zeiss, Jena, the outfit that made those lousy Trabant cars, etc.).
I recall that then Chancellor Kohl estimated it would cost $82 billion.
How much did it ultimately cost? Is the absorption of 1.3 million refugees on the same scale?
I have seen estimates from $100 billion to over a trillion.
Its not really all that easy; remember some of the costs were self-imposed, the Western Germans sold some industrial concerns for pennies on the dollar, and then found themselves having to suppor the recently redundant workforce.
On the other hand they didn’t need to spend as much money on defense.
That’s a good point. Some of the cost was indeed voluntary, or at least "not necessary’. But the German government wanted to accelerate the equalization of the two parts and so the West was taxed rather heavily to subsidize the East. They didn’t HAVE to do that.
Yes. Since that time until now, it probably is a net gain.
It’ll be a piss in the pond compared to Korea if that ever comes to pass.