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A person holds open a wallet with 15 euros in banknotes, as a child looks up sadly
Image: Ute Grabowsky/photothek/picture alliance

Poverty in Germany

Germany has struggled to cope with the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which sent prices for energy and food soaring.

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News

January 15, 2024

Germany: Citizens' group backs national free-lunch program

Skip next section Reports & Analysis

Reports & Analysis

A homeless person's mat and sleeping bag in front of a jewellery shop with silver goblets and a champagne bottle in its display cases.

Wealthy Germany fails to slash homelessness

Wealthy Germany fails to slash homelessness

The German government had set itself the goal of eradicating homelessness by 2030, but the chances of success seem slim.
SocietyDecember 24, 2023
A man in a dark suit and a woman dressed in beige and light green stand in front of a blue background

Germany's coalition agrees on child poverty plan

Germany's coalition agrees on child poverty plan

After weeks of wrangling, German lawmakers have reached an agreement on more money to tackle child poverty.
PoliticsAugust 29, 202301:22 min
Customers wait outside a Munich food bank

German food banks in crisis

German food banks in crisis

Inflation and an influx of refugees have put growing pressure on food banks. Will the German state step into the breach?
PoliticsJuly 16, 2023
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Why does child poverty exist in Germany?

Why does child poverty exist in Germany?

Germany is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Nonetheless, around 2.8 million children here are poor. Why?
PoliticsJuly 5, 202304:25 min
Children heading to school

German government bickers on child poverty plan

German government bickers on child poverty plan

The three parties in Germany's government don't see eye to eye on policy issues such as the "Basic Child Security" plan.
PoliticsMarch 7, 2023
elderly women helping themselves to vegetables at the food bank in Schwerin

Germany: Food banks turn 30 with no end in sight

Germany: Food banks turn 30 with no end in sight

For 30 years, Berlin's Tafel food bank has been redistributing groceries that would otherwise be thrown away.
SocietyFebruary 26, 2023
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Skip next section In the spotlight

In the spotlight

young people removing green vegetables out of a blue bin

Food from the trash can: Will dumpster diving soon be legal?

A new proposal to decriminalize fishing for edible food in dumpsters is aimed at combatting food waste.
Food SecurityJanuary 15, 2023
Produce is handed out at a Berlin food bank

Increased poverty stretches German food banks to the limit

About half of Germany's food banks have seen their number of clients double since last year.
SocietyOctober 18, 2022
A person speaking on a telephone seen behind the bars of a prision

How German prisons have become a debt trap

Inflation is making life particularly tough for prisoners in Germany, making them more likely to re-offend.
SocietyOctober 13, 2022
Children in Gelsenkirchen take part in a special pilot project

Providing education for children in need

A project in Gelsenkirchen is providing fairer educational opportunities for children in poverty.
SocietyOctober 13, 2022
A building and a sign of a man walking down the stairs

Germany's middle classes hit by cost-of-living crisis

There are fears the cost-of-living crisis could shake the foundation of German society: The middle class.
SocietyOctober 12, 2022
A man sleeping on a piece of cardboard in front of a large glass shop window. He is in the German capital - Berlin - in suburb of Charlottenburg.

Germany: What poverty looks like in a rich country

Amid soaring inflation, particularly for food and energy, the gap between rich and poor in Germany is widening.
SocietyOctober 10, 2022