Known worldwide as the country with the greatest beer, variety of bread and as the world’s biggest car producer, Germany has a fluctuating poverty issue. Total Germany’s population is estimated to be 82 million people. Today, Germany’s poverty has reached a record high since the reunification of Western and Eastern Germany. In the text below, top 10 facts about poverty in Germany are presented.
Top 10 Facts About Poverty In Germany
- Possibly the most important fact about poverty in Germany is that county’s poverty rate is breaking new negative records. Germany’s poverty is at its highest since its 1990 reunification of East and West Germany. Over 12.5 million Germans are classified as poor.
- The most recent record of Germany’s poverty line, recorded in 2015, is at 15.7 percent. In comparison, the poverty line was at 14 percent in 2006.
- After the reunification of Germany, the economy was negatively affected. The first obstacle was rebuilding businesses from East Germany, which entailed ownership right dilemmas. In 1992, the Property Law was passed. This law supported compensation opposed to restitution of properties. Renovation of infrastructure was another problem that needed to be addressed. Energy, transport and communications were required. With the lack of business production, the GDP has struggled with a drastic decrease in the monetary value. This made a great impact on the country.
- There is a significant gap between the poor and rich of Germany population. The top 20 percent of the population earn four times more than the people from the bottom 20 percent.
- The current average household net income per capita is equivalent to $33,652 a year. Germany is a member of OECD countries that comprise 36 world’s developed countries. The average disposable income per capita of OECD member countries is $30,563 a year on average, which means German is far better than the average in this regard.
- Data from October 2018 indicate that Germany’s unemployment rate was at 3.3 percent. This is a decrease from the July when the unemployment rate was at 3.4 percent.
- Much of the population that lives in low-class environments have jobs but are referred to as the “working poor”. These people are qualified to work certain jobs but are not getting paid enough to withstand decent living conditions. Social benefits assist with topping up their income.
- Germany’s welfare system has three forms of support: Unemployment Benefit, Unemployment Benefit II and Income support. The Unemployment Benefit is considered a contributory benefit that is paid for a limited amount of time. Unemployment Benefit II is a non-contributory benefit available to able body adults whilst in the process of seeking for employment. Lastly, Income support pays those that are not capable of working but reside with someone that is capable of working.
- As of 2015, there were 2.8 million children and young people living in Germany with the risk of poverty. This number represents 19.7 percent of children under the age of 18. Migrant families that came in Germany played a major role in the increase of these figures. Families with two or more children and those of migrant backgrounds are at the greatest risk for poverty than others.
- Tropical diseases such as dengue fever, sleeping sickness and worm diseases are considered poverty-related diseases that inhabit Germany’s rural areas.
Germany’s poverty in 2015 was at 15.7 percent, which is not a small percent for such a developed country. In an attempt to resolve and maintain poverty issues, nongovernmental organization and government are implementing different strategies. The goal is to practically decrease the statistics of the German poverty population in the forthcoming months to years.
These top 10 facts about poverty in Germany show us that even the developed countries have their issues and people that are in dire need of assistance.
– Kayla Sellers
Photo: Flickr