Poor people can afford less and less, as they have lost more and more of their purchasing power in recent years. In its annual report on poverty in Germany, the charity Der Paritätische Gesamtverband sees the main reason for this in inflation, which is hitting the poorest in the country the hardest. In addition, more and more people in Germany are falling below the so-called poverty line: one in six now affects this, the document says.
Last year, the average monthly income of people below the poverty line was only 921 euros. In 2020, it was 981 euros, and in 2023 – just 883 euros.
The poverty rate in Germany has risen
According to Der Paritätische Gesamtverband, which has over 10,000 social organizations, institutions and groups as members, around 13 million people in Germany were affected by poverty in 2024, i.e. around 15.5% of the population. This means an increase in poverty of 1.1 percentage points compared to the previous year, with single parents, young people and pensioners particularly affected, explains the public media ARD. The report also shows that poverty in old age affects women the most, and that around 30% of the poor do not have German citizenship.
Excluded from public life
Those living below the poverty line earn too little to be able to participate fully in society, the charity says. Of the approximately 13 million people affected by poverty, 5.2 million even live in "significant material deprivation". This means, for example, that they cannot afford to heat their homes or exchange their old and worn-out clothes for new ones.
The Paritätische Gesamtverband also classifies 1.1 million children and young people as particularly poor. 1.2 million full-time workers also fall below the poverty line.
The report also shows large regional differences between the individual federal states: While in Bavaria only one in eight people is affected by poverty (11.8%), in Saxony-Anhalt this is the case for one in five (22.3%), and in Bremen even one in four (25.9%).
Politics must do more
The social unions are calling for stronger political commitment. "The loss of purchasing power in recent years is worsening the already difficult financial situation of millions of people affected," says Joachim Rock, director of Der Paritätische Gesamtverband, in response to the latest figures. He believes that the fight against poverty and social exclusion should be a priority in the work of the new federal government.
In this regard, politics must do more to increase wage incomes, strengthen pension insurance and improve basic social protection instruments, the current report on poverty in Germany also says.