As more children in Germany grow up in what the Institute of the German Economy (IW) terms “education-poor environments” a recent study has revealed a significant increase in the proportion of minors with parents who lack a vocational training or university degree. According to the investigation, the percentage of minors with parents without a vocational training or university degree has risen from 11.4 to 17.6 percent between 2011 and 2021. Moreover, more than one in twenty children now belong to the particularly vulnerable group with parents without a high school diploma.
Meanwhile, the proportion of low-skilled individuals among 25- to 34-year-olds stood at 16.7 percent in 2023, almost four percentage points higher than a decade earlier. This trend cannot be solely attributed to immigration, as the study suggests that the proportion of low-skilled individuals has also increased among people born in the country.
The study’s author, Wido Geis-Thöne, calls for more support in the “direct living environment” particularly for young children, as only a small part of the affected three- to five-year-olds currently attend kindergarten. “Especially great are the action requirements in institutions that are visited by many children” Geis-Thöne said. “Therefore, these should be equipped with additional financial resources.