Over 76 per cent of students living in shared accommodation in Germany were at risk of poverty in 2021, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) has revealed.
Recently published data from Destatis also shows that in general 37.9 per cent of all students are at risk of poverty in the country, with this data also reflecting on the whole population. Moreover, 15.8 per cent of the German population risked becoming impoverished in 2021, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Furthermore, about 38.5 per cent of all students were unable to face unexpected financial expenses in 2021, with this phenomenon being especially concerning for students in shared accommodation, as 55.5 per cent of them claimed they can’t cover unexpected financial expenses. However, the inability of covering big expenses especially affects the German population, as 31.9 per cent of respondents claimed – indicating that not being able to handle such expenses was the main struggle for Germans in 2021.
Housing, which is a very common concern for students throughout Europe, was also another concern for German students throughout 2021, with 24.2 per cent of them reporting housing cost overburden. The housing cost which could be taking up to 40 per cent of students’ disposable income, was a more predominant concern for students in shared accommodation, as 56.6 per cent of them claimed while the German population was far less concerned about housing costs (10.7 per cent).
The increasing rates of poverty in Germany, especially among students, have pushed the Student Union in Germany (DSW) to react by calling on the government to address the issue.
“Students are facing a dramatic social emergency this winter semester. They are coming out of the corona pandemic financially and psychologically on their gums – and in view of skyrocketing prices, they often do not know how they are going to pay for electricity, gas and groceries,” the union wrote in a press release.
DWS urges the government to increase the aid offered to students, by also increasing BAföG basic requirements and introducing a BAföG that is adequate for the inflation that Germany is going through.
According to DWS, the best way to prevent poverty at these times is by increasing the aid as soon as possible, in addition to the flat-rate housing allowance and inflation compensation for BAföG, as the prices and income continue increasing.
Increasing the allowance could help thousands of international students in Germany, who have been affected severely by the pandemic. Data from Study-in-Germany.org reveals that in the academic year of 2020/2021, there were a total of 416,437 students in the country, with China being the main market for students in Germany.
