According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), in 2024, one in five people (21 percent) lived in a household that, in their own assessment, could not afford a one-week holiday trip. This translates to approximately 17.4 million people, a slight decrease from the previous year, when 23 percent of the population reported being unable to afford a week-long vacation.
The data, based on the EU’s Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), reveals that single parents and single individuals are disproportionately affected, with 38 percent of single parents and 29 percent of single individuals unable to afford a one-week holiday. In contrast, the percentage of couples without children, at 15 percent, was the lowest.
Interestingly, the likelihood of being unable to afford a holiday trip increases with the number of children in the household. While 16 percent of households with two adults and one or two children reported not being able to afford a one-week holiday, this figure rose to 29 percent for households with two adults and three or more children.
On a European scale, a quarter of the population (27 percent) lived in households that could not afford a one-week holiday, with Germany falling below the European Union’s average. In contrast, the populations of Luxembourg, Sweden and the Netherlands were less affected, with only 9, 12 and 13 percent, respectively, unable to afford a one-week holiday. In contrast, the majority of people in Romania, at 59 percent, reported being able to afford a one-week holiday.