Immigrants are especially hard hitThe risk of poverty among children in Germany is increasing
Even in rich Germany, the threat of poverty for many people is no longer unusual. Of particular concern is the increasing number of minors, whom the Federal Statistical Office classifies as a group at risk of poverty. There are two factors in particular that increase risk.
From a statistical perspective, one in seven children in Germany was at risk of poverty in the last year. The 2.2 million children and teenagers under the age of 18 equate to 15.2 percent of all people in this age group, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office. A year earlier the share was 14.0 percent. Germany is in a better position than the European average at 19.3 percent. Compared with the general population (15.5 percent), children and adolescents have a lower risk of poverty.
According to the statistical definition, people who have less than 60 percent of the average “net equivalent income” are at risk of poverty. This is a weighted per capita income that also takes into account household size, for example. In 2024, the threshold for someone living alone will be 1,381 euros per month. Single-parent households with children under the age of 14 who earn less than 1,795 euros net per month are considered at risk. Households with two adults and two children under the age of 14 are at risk of poverty with a net income below 2,900 euros.
Statisticians have identified low parental educational qualifications as a risk factor for low income and the resulting risk of poverty. The risk of poverty for minors in this group is very high, namely 41.8 percent. Only 15.2 minors whose parents have secondary education are at risk of poverty. Completed vocational training or a high school diploma counts as a secondary education qualification. If parents have higher educational qualifications – a master’s degree or a bachelor’s degree – the children’s employment risk is less than half, specifically: 7.2 percent.
In addition, residents under 18 years of age who themselves or their parents immigrated to Germany are four times more likely to be at risk of poverty (31.9 percent) than their peers with no history of immigration (7.7 percent).
The real consequences of poverty are reflected in children and young people’s opportunities to participate in social and cultural life. This is asked using 17 characteristics. If at least three criteria cannot be met for financial reasons, then those affected are described as materially or socially disadvantaged. This applies to 11.3 percent of children under 16 in Germany. In the EU the value is 13.6 percent.
In Germany, for example, 19 percent of children under 16 live in homes that cannot replace worn or damaged furniture. A week-long holiday trip is not possible for 12 percent of children and teenagers due to financial reasons. 3 percent couldn’t afford a second pair of shoes.
