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More than one in five children in Germany ‘at risk of poverty’

More than one in five children and one in four young adults in Germany are at risk of poverty, according to a study - with young people in the northern state of Bremen most likely to be affected.

Published: 26 January 2023 12:06 CET
Children at a kindergarten in Potsdam stand next to each other and hold hands.
Children at a kindergarten in Potsdam stand next to each other and hold hands. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Monika Skolimowska

A study published Thursday by the Bertelsmann Foundation has found that nearly 2.9 million children and young people are at risk of poverty nationwide.

Those considered at risk of poverty are children and young people in families with incomes below 60 percent of the median household income in Germany.

Among the children most affected are boys and girls in single-parent families or in multi-child families with three or more adolescents, according to the study.

READ ALSO: What benefits are you entitled to if you have children in Germany?

In the group of young adults aged 18 to 25, 1.55 million people – a share of 25.5 percent – were at risk of poverty. The current crises and price increases have exacerbated the problem, the study found.

The study also uncovered considerable regional differences: the at-risk-of-poverty rate is highest in Bremen, lowest in Bavaria, and the most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, is in the middle.

The northern German cities of Bremerhaven (36.3) and Bremen (30.9) have high rates of children and young people in receipt of SGB II benefits, while rural regions such as Roth in Bavaria (2.7), Biberach in Baden-Württemberg (5.2) and Eichsfeld in Thuringia (6.6) have rates of well below 10 percent.

The foundation called for countermeasures from the German government to combat the issue.

“Child and youth poverty remains an unsolved problem in Germany,” it said. It also urged the government to adopt the basic child benefit promised in the coalition agreement to be adopted “as quickly as possible”. 

The German government is planning to bring in the basic child allowance scheme in 2025, which will replace the current child benefits system with a more diverse range of family support payments.

READ ALSO: Everything that changes in Germany in 2023

“Those who grow up in poverty as young people suffer daily deprivation and shame, and at the same time have significantly poorer prospects for the future,” said Anette Stein, director of the Education and Next Generation program at the Bertelsmann Foundation.

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INHERITANCE

EXPLAINED: How to write a will in Germany

German succession law is pretty clear on what happens to your assets if you die without a will. But there are some big advantages - particularly for foreigners - of writing one.

Published: 26 April 2024 10:19 CEST
EXPLAINED: How to write a will in Germany

First and foremost, the largest advantage when it comes to writing wills as a foreigner in Germany – is the option to decide which country’s law applies when you write your will.

“Foreigners living in Germany have a huge advantage over German citizens, because you can choose the law of your own country for your will – even if you live in Germany,” says Andreas Moser, a Chemnitz-based immigration and family lawyer who runs a popular blog on German citizenship and family law. “Dual citizens who are German and have another nationality also have this advantage.”

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about German inheritance law

Whether you want to do this of course, depends highly on the other country concerned and its law – and how much it differs from German law.

In specific detailed cases, you may want to consult a lawyer who specialises in wills and estates. One example of how German law may differ though is that many countries don’t have “forced heirship”, which requires you to leave certain shares of your estate to certain immediate family members.

By contrast, Germany has forced heirship. If, however, you would like to get around this for some reason, you can specify that your will should go under the other country’s law – if, for example, that country doesn’t have forced heirship.

This is unlikely, however, to result in people resident in Germany you leave assets to being able to get around inheritance tax, as this counts towards the receiver’s tax and not the deceased’s. However, there are other cases when using either country’s estate law might have different implications for certain assets – something a specialised lawyer can give you more information about.

If you want your other country’s rule to apply, make sure you specifically state that in your will.

EXPLAINED: The rules around inheritance tax in Germany

When should you definitely have a will?

Moser suggests that foreigners in Germany who want their native country’s law to apply write a will and specifically state that as their wish.

He also recommends wills in particular for those who have “patchwork” families, where one or both spouses have been married before or have children from previous marriages – in order to avoid complicated proceedings over who gets what.

A family sit at a lake.

Foreigners in Germany – even if they are dual German citizens – can choose the succession law they want to apply in their will. Image by Eva Mospanova from Pixabay

How should I write a will?

When it comes to composing a will, you have three main options:

The first is to write an international will that’s valid in your home country and that specifically states that you want the law of your home country to apply. 

The disadvantage of this approach is that your heirs may have to later pay to have it translated into German. You can also arrange to have an official German translation of it done.

Your second choice is to handwrite a will and sign it. This is known as a holograph will or Eigenhändiges Testament in German. It can be in any language, although again – your heirs may have to pay to have it translated later.

This option also avoids certain expensive legal fees – and you can state which country’s law you want to apply. However, for it to be valid, it must be entirely handwritten and include the date and place of signature. It cannot be typed and signed. If you’re concerned about the will going missing, you can deposit it with your responsible probate court for a fee of €75.

The final option is to write a public testament – which is prepared by a German notary. These wills are pretty ironclad but can be expensive – with fees that differ depending on the size of the estate. Once prepared, the notary will then file it with the public registry – so there is always a record of it.

READ ALSO: Do foreigners in Germany owe tax on money that is inherited from overseas?

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