A new report by the Paritätischen Wohlfahrtsverband has found that income-poor people have become even poorer in recent years. The report, published on Tuesday, shows that the average monthly income of individuals below the poverty line dropped from 981 Euros in 2020 to 921 Euros in 2024, when adjusted for price changes. “The numbers confirm what many low-income earners have been feeling in their daily lives: the poor are getting poorer” said Joachim Rock, the head of the Paritätischen Gesamtverband. “The loss of purchasing power in recent years is making the already difficult financial situation of millions of affected people even more severe.”
The report also reveals that 15.5% of the population is considered poor in 2024, an increase of 1.1 percentage points compared to the previous year. Poverty is particularly prevalent among single parents, young adults and retirees, with elderly poverty being predominantly female.
The report also points out that 5.2 million people are living in “significant material deprivation” including 1.1 million children and young people and 1.2 million full-time employed individuals who cannot afford to heat their homes or replace old clothing.
The report highlights significant regional differences between the federal states, with poverty affecting only about one in eight people in Bavaria (11.8%), while it affects more than one in five people in Saxony-Anhalt (22.3%) and nearly one in four people in Bremen (25.9%).