Breathing fresh mountain air and admiring the sparkling streams? Lying on the beach, meditating by the waves? Unfortunately, one in five Germans does not have the means to afford such an experience, the Federal Statistical Office has found. A week-long vacation costs money that 21 percent of Germans, or about 17.4 million people, do not have. However, in 2024, a certain decline in this indicator was observed - a year earlier, those who did not have the opportunity to go on vacation were 23 percent.
In Germany, single parents are the most likely to have to give up their vacations - 38 percent. For single people without children, the percentage is 29, and for couples without children - 15. As for families with children, the possibilities for vacation depend on the number of children. If there are no more than two, the percentage of people deprived of vacation is 16, but if there are three or more - as much as 29 percent.
How is it in other EU countries
Overall, the situation in Germany is better than the EU average. In the Community, more than a quarter of households (27 percent) do not have money saved for a week's vacation, statistics show. In Romania, 59 percent of the country's residents cannot afford a vacation, in Greece - 46 percent, in Bulgaria - 41.
The least problem with securing money for a vacation is experienced by residents of Luxembourg (nine percent), Sweden (12 percent) and the Netherlands (13 percent).
Author: Pavel Milnikov