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A person holds open a wallet with 15 euros in banknotes, as a child looks up sadly
Image: Ute Grabowsky/photothek/picture alliance Image: Ute Grabowsky/photothek/picture alliance

Poverty in Germany

Germany has struggled to cope with the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which sent prices for energy and food soaring.

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All Content on this topic

Demonstration against racism in Cologne in 2020, protester holding up a sign reading: "we are all the same!"

Germany: Study shows correlation between racism and poverty

Black, Muslim and Asian people are more at risk of poverty in Germany, according to a study.
SocietyMay 7, 2024
Schoolchildren in Germany eat at a canteen in Göttingen

Germany: Citizens' group backs national free-lunch program

The group presented suggestions for a healthier society to German Parliamentary President Bärbel Bas on Sunday.
HealthJanuary 15, 2024
A homeless person's mat and sleeping bag in front of a jewellery shop with silver goblets and a champagne bottle in its display cases.

Wealthy Germany fails to slash homelessness

The German government had set itself the goal of eradicating homelessness by 2030, but the chances of success seem slim.
SocietyDecember 24, 2023
A man in a dark suit and a woman dressed in beige and light green stand in front of a blue background

Germany's coalition agrees on child poverty plan

After weeks of wrangling, German lawmakers have reached an agreement on more money to tackle child poverty.
PoliticsAugust 29, 202301:22 min
Sauerbraten — marinaded meat with dumplings on a plate

Germany: More people unable to afford good meals

More and more people in Germany cannot afford to eat meat, fish or the equivalent on a daily basis, figures show.
SocietyJuly 31, 2023
Customers wait outside a Munich food bank

German food banks in crisis

Inflation and an influx of refugees have put growing pressure on food banks. Will the German state step into the breach?
PoliticsJuly 16, 2023
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Why does child poverty exist in Germany?

Germany is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Nonetheless, around 2.8 million children here are poor. Why?
PoliticsJuly 5, 202304:25 min
Apartment building the Gropiusstadt neighborhood of Berlin

High rent burden for Germany's tenants raises 'red flag'

Some 1.5 million German households are spending more than half of their income on rent, according to a study.
SocietyMarch 31, 2023
Children heading to school

German government bickers on child poverty plan

The three parties in Germany's government don't see eye to eye on policy issues such as the "Basic Child Security" plan.
PoliticsMarch 7, 2023
elderly women helping themselves to vegetables at the food bank in Schwerin

Germany: Food banks turn 30 with no end in sight

For 30 years, Berlin's Tafel food bank has been redistributing groceries that would otherwise be thrown away.
SocietyFebruary 26, 2023
Building site in Berlin

Ukraine war, inflation accelerate Germany's housing crisis

A price explosion has ruined the Germany government's building plans, as many renters speak of a nightmarish situation.
SocietyJanuary 26, 2023
young people removing green vegetables out of a blue bin

Food from the trash can: Will dumpster diving soon be legal?

A new proposal to decriminalize fishing for edible food in dumpsters is aimed at combatting food waste.
Food SecurityJanuary 15, 2023
Woman lecturing in seminar hall at a university Germany

Students in Germany on the poverty line

One in three students in Germany lives below the poverty line, and state subsidies are no longer enough.
SocietyOctober 20, 2022
Produce is handed out at a Berlin food bank

Increased poverty stretches German food banks to the limit

About half of Germany's food banks have seen their number of clients double since last year.
SocietyOctober 18, 2022
A person speaking on a telephone seen behind the bars of a prision

How German prisons have become a debt trap

Inflation is making life particularly tough for prisoners in Germany, making them more likely to re-offend.
SocietyOctober 13, 2022
Children in Gelsenkirchen take part in a special pilot project

Providing education for children in need

A project in Gelsenkirchen is providing fairer educational opportunities for children in poverty.
SocietyOctober 13, 2022
A building and a sign of a man walking down the stairs

Germany's middle classes hit by cost-of-living crisis

There are fears the cost-of-living crisis could shake the foundation of German society: The middle class.
SocietyOctober 12, 2022
A man sleeping on a piece of cardboard in front of a large glass shop window. He is in the German capital - Berlin - in suburb of Charlottenburg.

Germany: What poverty looks like in a rich country

Amid soaring inflation, particularly for food and energy, the gap between rich and poor in Germany is widening.
SocietyOctober 10, 2022
The G7 leaders, along with the leaders of the EU, gather for a portrait

G7 in Germany: More than a show?

Can G7 leaders do anything about the climate, hunger and war from a Bavarian resort? Some say more action is necessary.
PoliticsJune 26, 2022
Small change in a wallet

German lawmakers approve €12 minimum wage

Some 6.2 million workers in Germany are set to benefit from a minimum wage increased passed by lawmakers.
PoliticsJune 3, 2022
Sign listing development organizations in Kundus, Afghanistan in 2013

Germany looks set to cut development aid

At a time when the war in Ukraine is expected to impact the world's poorest regions, Germany may slash key financing.
PoliticsMarch 25, 2022
Mirza Edis talking to an elderly woman

Germany's poor don't vote

Disadvantaged and disenfranchised: Engaging voters is a challenge when people are struggling financially and socially.
PoliticsAugust 24, 2021
Photo of a collection of large-denomination euro banknotes

German tax haven law passes lower house

The bill, which must still clear the upper house, has faced criticism for addressing only a selection of tax havens.
BusinessJune 10, 2021
beggar in German pedestrian shopping zone

Social inequality in Germany is on the rise

A new government report has made clear how wide the country's social divide is growing.
SocietyMay 12, 2021
A food bank in Bremen

Poverty threatens ever more people in Germany

The past 10 years have seen an increasing number of people in Germany at risk of falling below the poverty line.
SocietyAugust 13, 2020
Two children with school backpacks walking across a quad

1 in 5 children in Germany live in poverty

Childhood poverty rates in Germany refuse to budge, a new study has shown.
SocietyJuly 22, 2020
Symbolbild - Altenpflege - Pflege - Pflegeberuf - Altersarmut

Rising poverty among German elderly

Germany's count of elderly at risk from poverty had stood at 3.2 million in 2017, according to statistics disclosed.
PoliticsJanuary 9, 2020
Dilapidated buildings in Duisburg-Bruchhausen in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia

Poverty gap widens in Germany

The authors of a new study have urged the government to do more to eradicate poverty.
SocietyDecember 12, 2019
A piggy bank

Employment fails to protect against poverty

Increased employment in the most developed countries masks a rise in the risk of living below the poverty line.
SocietyDecember 5, 2019
A homeless woman in Berlin

Homelessness in Germany on the rise

Homelessness levels rose in Germany by almost 30,000 between 2017 and 2018, according to new figures.
SocietyNovember 11, 2019
An elderly person takes the last few coins out of a wallet

German government strikes deal on basic pension

After hours of negotiations, the government reached a compromise on raising pensions for low-income retirees.
PoliticsNovember 10, 2019
Silhouette of a child

Every third child remains in poverty in adulthood

A study spanning 20 years has found that poverty can haunt the lives of impoverished children in Germany.
SocietyNovember 6, 2019
Man holds money out from wallet

Income inequality in Germany on the rise: study

Researchers at the Hans-Böckler-Foundation have warned that the income gap between Germany's rich and poor is widening.
SocietyOctober 7, 2019
A woman takes coins from her wallet

Poverty among elderly worse in western Germany

The former eastern German states have fewer senior citizens dependent on state support than in western Germany.
SocietySeptember 23, 2019
Food bank donations

Dramatic rise in Germans relying on food banks

Senior citizens as well as children and adolescents are among those who are increasingly turning to food banks.
SocietySeptember 18, 2019
An elderly person taking coins out of a purse

Poverty increasingly threatens elderly Germans

Plans for a basic pension for those in the most need could prove ineffective, a study said.
SocietySeptember 12, 2019
Symbolic picture of money in a wallet

Can a wealth tax bridge Germany's rich-poor divide?

Calls for a wealth tax in Germany are growing. Is it the answer to bridging the increasing gap between rich and poor?
PoliticsAugust 27, 2019
People walk past a homeless person in the Frankfurter Allee in Berlin

Homelessness on the rise in Germany: study

The current system makes it almost impossible to escape the "rigid poverty" endemic in Germany, the report warned.
SocietyJuly 30, 2019
A Teslaparked on Maximilianstrasse in Munich

German income inequality a cause for concern

A study has found that residents in the south have twice as much disposable income as those in the north and east.
PoliticsApril 24, 2019
Child's hand reaches for money

Kids in Germany: Worrying about money, wanting to be heard

Quality family time and being able to effect change are priorities for children and young adults.
SocietyFebruary 19, 2019
People walk past a homeless person in the Frankfurter Allee in Berlin, Germany on January 19, 2018

Germany sees rise in cold-related deaths

Last year, the winter chill claimed three lives during the same three months to December.
SocietyDecember 24, 2018
Burial markers in Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Germany's lonely dead

Increasing numbers of Germans are being buried in public health funerals — without family and friends at the graveside.
SocietyNovember 25, 2018
An old woman holds coins in her hands

Poverty threatens nearly one in five in Germany

Unemployment may be at a historic low in Germany, but millions are still on the brink of poverty of social exclusion.
SocietyOctober 31, 2018
A child walks down the stairs

Risk of poverty at new high in Germany: report

One in six of Germany's population is exposed to poverty risk, despite booming exports, say researchers
SocietyAugust 10, 2018
A parent and chld walk down a staircase in shadow

Mom's job decisive in child poverty in Germany: study

When mom's out of work, poverty can loom for her and her children, a study by the Bertlesmann Foundation found.
SocietyJune 27, 2018
Jens Spahn (L) standing in conversation with Merkel whose back is towards the photographer at last year's CDU party conference in Essen, Germany.

New health minister draws backlash

Chancellor Merkel's designated health minister Jens Spahn is already facing a backlash for denying poverty in Germany.
PoliticsMarch 13, 2018
A homeless person sits on the street in Stuttgart, Germany

German unemployed poverty-risk highest in EU

According to the latest EU figures, the risk of poverty for the unemployed in Germany is as high as 70 percent.
SocietyFebruary 27, 2018
Obdachlosigkeit in Köln

Slums in Deutschland? No, but ...

Slums like the favelas in Brazil don't exist in Germany. Poverty and homelessness are only visible at second glance.
SocietyDecember 18, 2017
Garbage truck

Homeless man badly hurt in garbage truck

A homeless man in Nuremberg has been injured after being tipped from a paper recycling container into a garbage truck.
SocietyDecember 8, 2017
Street children project in Berlin

Child poverty still rising in Germany

The number of children at risk from poverty has risen in Germany, despite a booming economy.
SocietySeptember 15, 2017