People living alone in Germany: Poverty and loneliness on the rise!

People living alone in Germany: Poverty and loneliness on the rise!

Around 17 million people in Germany live alone today. This corresponds to around 20.6 percent of the population and marks a remarkable increase compared to the 14 million people living alone in 2004. This trend is not just a number, but reflects profound social changes. Sociologist Alexander Langenkamp explains that the increase in single households since reunification can be observed throughout the country and in the old federal states. The reasons for this are complex: demographic change, social changes towards individualization, high professional mobility and educational expansion all largely contribute to how daily news reported.

Social causes and consequences

Women's financial independence in particular plays a significant role in making them more likely to be able to afford to live on their own. However, it's not just the advantages that need to be considered: people living alone are particularly often at risk of poverty these days. Around 29 percent of this group is considered to be at risk of poverty, which is alarmingly high compared to the general population (15.5 percent). Especially among older citizens over 65 years of age, more than one in three live in a single-person household, and among people over 85 years of age it is even more than 50 percent.

Fabian Steenken from the State Poverty Conference in Lower Saxony describes this situation as an expression of growing social inequality. This problem is not new in Germany. Loud Destatis The at-risk-of-poverty rate for people living alone has increased so much that 35.1 percent are now at risk of poverty or social exclusion. In the age group of 30 years and under, 35.9 percent often feel lonely. This is a widespread phenomenon: 26 percent of people who live alone say they often feel lonely, while this is only 16.3 percent of the general population.

Comparison of EU countries

Another interesting aspect is the comparison with other European countries. In terms of the proportion of people living alone, Germany is 20.6 percent, above the EU average of 16.2 percent. While countries such as Lithuania (27 percent), Finland (26 percent) and Denmark (24 percent) have even higher values, the lowest shares can be found in Slovakia (3.5 percent), Ireland (8 percent) and Poland (9 percent).

In addition, a forecast shows that the proportion of single-person households in Germany could increase to over 45 percent by 2040. This is worrying, not only because it is changing social structures, but also because it could increase the problem of poverty. Böckler highlights that the gap between rich and poor in Germany is becoming ever wider. Social and economic inequality is increasing, which will have a significant impact on the living conditions of people living alone.

The challenges that people living alone face are diverse. From financial insecurity to loneliness, these aspects are not just individual fates, but rather a social phenomenon that requires solutions. The call for good social cohesion is louder than ever, and it is up to all of us to keep an eye on these developments and act accordingly.