Persons at risk of poverty before social transfers (pensions included) in Germany
Germany: Persons at risk of poverty before social transfers (pensions included) was 35.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
35.2%
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
17th
of 49 countries
All-time high
41.1%
in 2021
All-time low
28.3%
in 2012
Years of data
16
2010–2025
Persons at risk of poverty before social transfers (pensions included) in Germany, 2010–2025
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
Germany recorded 35.2% for persons at risk of poverty before social transfers (pensions included) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persons at risk of poverty before social transfers (pensions included) in Germany peaked at 41.1% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 28.3%, in 2012.
Germany ranks 17th of 49 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Persons at risk of poverty before social transfers (pensions included) in Germany, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 31.0% | — |
| 2011 | 29.5% | -4.8% |
| 2012 | 28.3% | -4.1% |
| 2013 | 28.5% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 30.8% | +8.1% |
| 2015 | 32.3% | +4.9% |
| 2016 | 34.8% | +7.7% |
| 2017 | 32.9% | -5.5% |
| 2018 | 31.6% | -4.0% |
| 2019 | 28.4% | -10.1% |
| 2020 | 38.0% | +33.8% |
| 2021 | 41.1% | +8.2% |
| 2022 | 38.0% | -7.5% |
| 2023 | 36.3% | -4.5% |
| 2024 | 34.9% | -3.9% |
| 2025 | 35.2% | +0.9% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 35.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 33.9%, 1.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Germany's 35.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 33.9%, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 30.8% | 28.3% | 34.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.2% | 34.9% | 41.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 15 Slovakia 36.3% compare
- 15 Slovakia 36.3% compare
- 18 European Union (EU6-1958, EU9-1973, EU10-1981, EU12-1986, EU15-1995, EU25-2004, EU27-2007, EU28-2013, EU27-2020) 35.1% compare
- 19 Türkiye 35.0% compare
- 20 Netherlands 34.5% compare
- 20 Netherlands 34.5% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Germany
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.44 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 7,007 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 37.48 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 37.5% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is persons at risk of poverty before social transfers (pensions included) in Germany?
- Persons at risk of poverty before social transfers (pensions included) in Germany was 35.2% in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest persons at risk of poverty before social transfers (pensions included) recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 41.1% in 2021.
- What is the lowest persons at risk of poverty before social transfers (pensions included) recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.3% in 2012.
- How does Germany rank for persons at risk of poverty before social transfers (pensions included)?
- Germany ranks 17th out of 49 countries with data for 2025.
- Is persons at risk of poverty before social transfers (pensions included) rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Persons at risk of poverty before social transfers (pensions included in social transfers) by level of disability (activity limitation), sex and age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).