Germany: 1 in 5 children at risk of falling into poverty

Nearly one in every five children in Germany stood at risk of falling into poverty, according to a report by the German Federal Ministry of Labor.

The report findings, published by Germany's Funke Mediengruppe Sunday, said that 20.2 % of those who were under 18 years of age were at risk of poverty in 2020.

There were 13.75 million children and adolescents under 18 years of age Germany in 2020, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office. That meant around 2.77 million children were at risk of falling into poverty.

Bavarian children face the lowest risk of poverty

The report found that 42% children in the northern state of Bremen were at risk of poverty, the highest of any state. 

On the other hand, 12.2% children were at risk of sliding into poverty in the southern state of Bavaria, the lowest count among states.

In Berlin, the at-risk child poverty rate was also quite high, at 24%. That meant nearly one in every four children stood at risk.

Left Party slams results

The findings were a response from the Ministry of Labor to a written question by Dietmar Bartsch, the chairman of the Left Party.

Bartsch criticized the results after the report was published, telling Funke Mediengruppe that "child poverty is a sad scandal in our rich country."

He asked for benefits for children to be raised, saying that there ought to be "a poverty-proof basic child benefit of up to €630 ($687)."

The Ministry of Labor said that a working group, agreed to by the three ruling parties — the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) — would begin work on the issue soon.

AFP material contributed to this report.