Last year, the number of children and young adults at risk of poverty has slightly increased compared to 2023, according to statistics from the Federal Statistical Office, as reported by the “New Osnabrück Times”.
According to the data, 24,000 children and young people have fallen into poverty and an additional 50,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 have become at risk of poverty. “Poverty among young people is a shame and a future risk for Germany. It’s about almost four million people who have fewer opportunities from the start” said Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the Left Party, which had requested the data on child poverty for 2024 from the Federal Statistical Office.
With the latest increase, one in seven children and one in four young adults remain at risk of poverty, amounting to around 2.1 million children and young people and 1.6 million young adults. Looking ahead to a potential government change after the federal election, Wagenknecht sees a significant need for action on the issue of child poverty. “Germany’s education system is in a deplorable state. We need top schools from the coast to the Alps, where no student leaves without a diploma and the fight against parental poverty through better wages, lower rents, taxes and living costs” Wagenknecht said. Germany’s young generation deserves no poverty, but real opportunities.
The Left Party is currently fighting for a seat in the Bundestag. Two weeks before the federal election, polls show the Wagenknecht party between four and six percent and it may fail to clear the five-percent threshold. The party’s leader has linked her political fate to the success of her party in the election on February 23.