The number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion remains high in Germany.

Today, Wednesday, the Federal Statistical Office announced, based on the initial results of a survey on income and living conditions, that 17.7 million people in Germany were affected by this risk in 2023, equivalent to 21.2% of the population. Compared to the previous year, the percentage remained almost unchanged.

A person is considered at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the European Union if at least one of the following three conditions applies:

His income is below the poverty threshold, or his family suffers from severe material and social deprivation, or he lives in a household with very limited participation in the labor force. Based on each of these life situations, the percentage of those affected can be determined.

- In 2023, about one in seven people was at risk of poverty — 14.3% of the population, or nearly 12 million people. In 2022, their percentage was 14.8%

- Severe material and social deprivation affected 6.9% of the population, or 5.7 million people, and in 2022 the percentage was 6.2%

- 9.8% of the population under 65 years old, or 6.2 million people, live in households with very low labor force participation. In 2022, the percentage was similar.