Over 17 Million People in Germany at Risk of Poverty or Social Exclusion, New Data Shows

The Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis) has released its first results from the survey on income and living conditions (EU-SILC), which show that just over one-fifth of the country’s population is at risk of poverty or social exclusion. In 2022, 17.3 million people were affected, representing 20.9% of the population. The values remained almost unchanged from the previous year, when just under 17.3 million people, or 21.0% of the population, were affected by poverty or social exclusion. Of those affected, 14.7% were at risk of poverty, 6.1% were affected by severe material and social deprivation, and 9.7% were living in a household with very low work intensity. The figures highlight the ongoing challenge of addressing poverty and social exclusion in Germany, despite efforts to improve social welfare programs and address income inequality.