One in seven children in Germany face immediate risk of poverty, as shown by new figures from the Federal Statistical Service (Destatis) for 2023.
It is noted that the risk increases the lower the parents’ level of education.
As stated in the relevant Destatis announcement based on the income and living conditions survey (EU-SILC), almost 2.1 million children and adolescents up to 18 years old or 14% of this age group, are threatened by the risk of poverty. The rate is slightly lower than that of the general population (14.4%) and has shown a slight decline since 2022, when 15% of children and 14.8% of the total population were at risk of poverty.
The risk of poverty
According to the research, a person is considered at risk of poverty when it has at its disposal less than 60% of the equivalent average income of the entire population. In 2023, this limit for a person living alone in Germany was 1,314 euros (net) per month and 2,759 euros for a family of four with two children under 14.
To what extent are children and adolescents at risk of poverty? It depends directly parental education They, this is found in the research. In 2023, in Germany, the at-risk-of-poverty rate for people under the age of 18 whose parents do not have a secondary school diploma without vocational training was 36.8%, while for children whose parents have a secondary school diploma, a secondary school diploma or completed vocational training, the percentage is limited to 14.3%. For children whose parents have a higher level of education, the at-risk-of-poverty rate is 5.8%.
Source: AMPE