The Paritätische Gesamtverband (Parity Welfare Association) has published its new poverty report: 13.3 million people were living in poverty in Germany in 2025. Bremen continues to have the highest poverty rate at 27.5 percent.
The German Parity Association (Der Paritätische Gesamtverband) has published its new poverty report, entitled "Growing Poverty, Shrinking Security," revealing alarming findings. The social divide in Germany is widening: 13.3 million people were living in poverty in 2025, with the poverty rate rising to 16.1 percent. In Bremen, the poverty rate climbed to 27.5 percent, making it by far the state with the highest poverty rate. At the same time, the gap between regions and population groups is growing. While poverty is increasing overall, it is becoming particularly entrenched among the elderly, women, and single parents. The differences between the states are significant: while in Bavaria approximately one in eight people is affected by poverty (12.6%), this applies to more than one in four in Bremen (27.5%) and to more than one in five in Saxony-Anhalt (21.3%).
"If this trend continues, soon one in three people in Bremen will be poor."
“The situation in Bremen is deeply concerning: 27.5 percent of people in our state were affected by poverty in 2025 – yet another sad record. If this trend continues, soon one in three people in Bremen will be poor. If we now factor in the planned cuts in social services and the reform plans, the situation will worsen dramatically: The threatened cuts in long-term care, housing benefits, and youth and integration assistance would hit precisely those people who depend on the welfare state,” says Joachim Schuster, Chairman of the Board of the Paritätische Bremen (a social welfare organization). “The rising poverty will become even more apparent on the streets, in doctors' offices, and at food banks – and will ultimately be very costly for municipalities. While the federal government is primarily responsible here, we urge the Bremen Senate to continue prioritizing the fight against poverty and the reduction of its consequences – across all departments!”
Read the full press release/the complete poverty report as a PDF: www.der-paritaetische.de/armutsbericht
Facts about poverty in Bremen 2025
- The poverty rate in Bremen is 27.5 percent (compared to 25.9 percent in 2024), see report, from page 14
- Of a total of 707,000 people (Statistical Office of Bremen, Monthly Statistical Overview), over 194,000 people in the state of Bremen are considered poor.
- Bremen once again has the highest number of people affected by poverty, and the gap between the states is widening: Bremen is followed by Saxony-Anhalt (21.3 percent), all other federal states have a poverty rate below 19 percent, Bavaria only 12.6 percent.
- The gap between Bavaria and Bremen widened again in 2025.
- Please note that for other indicators such as gender, age or household type, we only have figures at the federal level (not at the regional/municipal level).
Facts about poverty in Germany in 2025
- In 2025, 13.3 million people lived in poverty, with the poverty rate rising to 16.1 percent (2024: 13 million people / 15.5%).
- In 2025, the poverty threshold (at risk of poverty threshold) for single people was €1,446 net income per month, and for a family of four it was €3,036 net income per month (source: tagesschau.de).
- In Germany, a person is considered "at risk of poverty" if they have less than 60 percent of the median needs-adjusted net income.
- Due to the calculation method, only people living in the same household are counted. This excludes relevant groups: homeless people, people in care facilities or other accommodations such as residential homes for people with disabilities or refugee shelters.
- Women are slightly more likely to be affected by poverty (16.7 percent) than men (15.6 percent).
- The situation remains tense for older people: the poverty rate is 19.5 percent. This means that roughly one in five people aged 65 and over is now affected by poverty.
- 4.6 million people live in severe material deprivation. This includes approximately 1 million children and young people under the age of 18 and 650,000 pensioners.
Source: The Paritätische Bremen, Poverty Report 2026: "If this trend continues, soon every third person in Bremen will be poor." – The Paritätische Welfare Association, Bremen State Association, June 2, 2026