A third of German students are at risk of poverty

A third of German students are at risk of poverty

As many as a third of students in the strongest European economy are at risk of poverty, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office, Destatis.

Students in Germany spend more than half of their income on rent alone.

On average, students use 54 percent of their income for rent, as Destatis data recently showed. Germans normally spend an average of 25 percent on housing costs.

According to Destatis, two thirds of students are considered financially overburdened. This is one of the reasons why they are at greater risk of poverty than other population groups.

All in all, according to information from Destatis, as many as 35 percent of students are at risk of poverty, and 14 percent of all Germans.

With its figures from the 2023 survey, the Federal Bureau of Statistics shows that half of the students have less than 867 euros per month.

For the sake of comparison, the amount of social assistance, when everything is added up, is much higher. Singles currently receive 563 euros per month as social assistance, they do not have to pay health insurance and they are paid for an apartment that can be a maximum of 50 square meters in size – for example in Munich up to 849 euros, in Frankfurt 786 or in Cologne up to 651 euros.

800 euros for a room in Munich

In Germany, for the upcoming semester, a little less than 3 million students are enrolled in colleges, colleges and universities, and the big problem for many is – accommodation. The cheapest solution is a student dormitory – on average it costs 280 euros per month. However, there are only about 200,000 places in 1,500 homes.

According to the study, rooms in shared apartments in Munich are the most expensive. The average price of a room is 790 euros. They are followed by Frankfurt with 680, Berlin with 650, Hamburg with 620 and Cologne with 600 euros.

Students can find cheaper accommodation in Zigen (330 euros), Jena (328), Vizmar (325) or Kemnica (290).

In Germany, it has long been common for two or more students to live in larger rented apartments and establish a so-called WG (Wohngemenschaft).

Everyone has their own room, and the kitchen, bathroom and other rooms are shared. All costs are shared, usually depending on the size of the room and who brought what furniture and household appliances into the apartment. A community, or WG, can exist for years, but it does not have to be composed of the people who founded it.

Source: Business diary

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