More than a third of students in Germany were threatened by poverty last year. The Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden reports a share of 37.9 percent for this population group. According to the report, students living alone or in shared flats are particularly at risk. Of these, 76.1 per cent, or three quarters, were at risk of poverty.
One of the reasons for the high at-risk-of-poverty rate among students is the high cost of housing: In 2021, the average share of housing costs in the disposable household income of students was 31.6 %, which is also significantly higher than the average for the population as a whole (23.3 %). Those living alone or in shared student accommodation had to spend on average just over half (51.1%) of their disposable income on housing.
Overall, the financial leeway of students has continued to decline in recent years: while in 2020 almost every third student in Germany was still affected by poverty, the proportion of students at risk of poverty was already 37.9 per cent in 2021. In 2022, the financial situation of students has further deteriorated due to the ongoing crisis, the management of those in power and the existing stagflation.
