One in ten Germans on the dole
Nearly every tenth German was on the dole in 2007, the Federal Statistics Office (Destatis) reported on Monday. In some big cities like Berlin the number on welfare was almost double that figure.
The number of people receiving state benefits in former East German cities are still considerably higher than the national average. In the capital Berlin, for example, every fifth resident (19.9 percent) needed government support to survive.
Meanwhile the relatively wealthy southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg had rates of five and 5.4 percent respectively, meaning every twentieth resident received welfare benefits.
Of the people in Germany who received welfare benefits, some 75 percent were on unemployment benefits known generally as Hartz IV. That accounted for €36.3 billion in 2007.
One quarter could not work due to old age or health reasons and received €4.1 billion in Sozialhilfe. Asylum seekers received €800 million in aid.
Comments
See Also
The number of people receiving state benefits in former East German cities are still considerably higher than the national average. In the capital Berlin, for example, every fifth resident (19.9 percent) needed government support to survive.
Meanwhile the relatively wealthy southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg had rates of five and 5.4 percent respectively, meaning every twentieth resident received welfare benefits.
Of the people in Germany who received welfare benefits, some 75 percent were on unemployment benefits known generally as Hartz IV. That accounted for €36.3 billion in 2007.
One quarter could not work due to old age or health reasons and received €4.1 billion in Sozialhilfe. Asylum seekers received €800 million in aid.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.