New figures - Every seventh child in Germany is at risk of poverty
In Germany, approximately 2.1 million children and adolescents under 18 years old were at risk of poverty in the previous year. This represents a poverty risk rate of 14 percent, according to the Federal Statistical Office. This rate was slightly below that of the general population (14.4 percent). Children and adolescents particularly affected were those with parents having a lower level of education, such as a lower secondary school diploma without a vocational qualification, the statisticians explained. The rate had decreased slightly compared to the previous year, with 15 percent of minors being at risk in 2022.
"The poverty risk rate for minors in Germany, whose parents had a lower level of education, such as a lower secondary school diploma without a vocational qualification, was 36.8 percent in 2023," it was stated. For parents with a medium level of education, such as an Abitur or a vocational training, approximately 14.3 percent of the children were at risk. However, if the parents had a higher level of education, such as a master's title or a completed degree, the risk rate was only 5.8 percent.
Poverty goes hand in hand with social exclusion
Someone is considered at risk of poverty if they have less than 60 percent of the median income of the overall population. In Germany in 2023, this threshold for single adults was 1,314 Euros net per month, and for households with two adults and two children under 14 years old, it was 2,759 Euros net per month. To fully capture income, annual income is asked for. Consequently, the questions about income refer to the previous year of the survey, in this case, 2022.
According to the Federal Statisticians, approximately 23.9 percent of minors in Germany were at risk of both poverty and social exclusion in 2023. This put Germany below the EU average of 24.8 percent. Nevertheless, the percentage of children and adolescents at risk of poverty or social exclusion in more than half of all EU countries was lower than in Germany.
The least affected by poverty and exclusion were children and adolescents in Slovenia, with 10.7 percent. Following were Finland with 13.8 percent and the Netherlands with 14.3 percent. The highest percentages were in Romania, Spain, and Bulgaria – with 39, 34.5, and 33.9 percent, respectively. In total, there were approximately 19.9 million children and adolescents at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU in 2023.
The information comes from the so-called EU-SILC Common Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, which serves as the official data source for measuring poverty risk in both Germany and the EU as a whole.
In contrast to Germany, where 36.8% of children with parents having a lower level of education faced poverty in 2023, the EU average for this group was significantly lower at 25.3%. Furthermore, the EU as a whole had a higher rate of children and adolescents at risk of both poverty and social exclusion, with Germany being below the average at 23.9%, while countries like Romania, Spain, and Bulgaria had alarmingly high rates.
