In Germany, anyone who has less than a certain income is considered poor by definition. But when do you become poor?
Anyone who falls below a certain income limit is considered to be at risk of poverty in Germany. Our social system is actually supposed to ensure that there is no poverty. This is why we speak of relative poverty in this country.
Internationally, according to theOrganization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)Absolutely or extremely poor is someone who has less than $2.15 a day to live on (source:Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development).
By definition you areat risk of poverty if you have less than 60 percent of the median income available. According to the Federal Statistical Office, this applies to 16% of Germans in 2023, like thatFederal Office for Civic Educationreported.
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According to the microcensus1concerned theRisk of poverty in 2023 people who earn less than 1,247 euroshad available per month. For two adults living in a household with two children under 14, this figure was an income of less than 2,620 euros per month. For single parents with a child under 14 years old it is 1,622 euros.
These groups of people are most at risk of poverty
While two adults with one, two or no child(ren) have a similarly low risk of poverty (max. 10.4%), the risk increases significantly with three or more children. Here the share is already 30.1%. Single-person households have a similarly high level of 28.1%.
The group most at risk of poverty are the unemployed. More than half (50.7%) were at risk of poverty in 2023. In addition, 35.5% of single parents and 41% of people without German citizenship were at risk of poverty.
In terms of the age of those at risk of poverty, the group of 18 to 25 year olds is most affected at 25%, followed by those under 18 with 20.7% and people over 65 with 18.1%. It follows that children and pensioners are particularly affected by poverty.
Employment, no migration background and a high level of education appear to have a positive effect on the risk of poverty. Couples with and without children also belong to the group of people who are least likely to be at risk of poverty.
- Survey of one percent of all households in Germany conducted since 1957. This corresponds to around 370,000 households every year.↩︎
