Poverty report: poverty rate remains high – SPIEGEL ONLINE

For the German economy was in 2014, a good year. Of these poor people in Germany have hardly benefited. The population at risk of poverty was only by 0.1 percentage points. The returns from the new poverty report of the Joint Welfare Association. With 15.4 percent, the poverty rate thus remains in Germany at a consistently high level.

The development is an indication that income poverty in Germany is an economic less than a political problem, the authors conclude. “On the contrary, this increasing wealth nor lead to a further opening of the income gap and even greater relative poverty.” You overwrite the Poverty Report 2016 therefore “Time to Deliver” with.

The poverty report each based on the latest data of the Microcensus’ the Federal Statistical Office, in which the income situation is detected. In its calculation, the welfare organization refers to “relative poverty rates”.

Thus, households are at risk of poverty, in which is less than 60 percent of the so-called demand-weighted income available. Mathematically, these are 12.5 million people, of which around 3.4 million pensioners, as the CEO of the Association, Ulrich Schneider said. From a turnaround he wanted despite the slight decline not speak.

pensioners particularly at risk of poverty

Unlike in previous years, the poverty rate declined in 2014 in the same nine provinces. Significant declines there was (-2.3 percentage points), especially in Berlin (-1.4 percentage point) and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

In the two most populous states of Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia the risk of poverty in 2014 increased. problem area number one is the Ruhr area, said the executive director of the association, Ulrich Schneider. “Every fifth inhabitant of this largest conurbation in Germany must be counted among the poor now.”

As the development in some regions is dramatic, however, shows a view of the past decade. Since 2006, the poverty rate had risen by 27 percent in the Ruhr region, the report said. New high: 20 percent.

is alarming according to the report, the development in the elderly – long protect pensions they no longer present financial hardship. The rate of poor old pensioners had since 2005 by 46 percent and thus faster than grown as with any other population group, the authors write. With 15.6 percent it was in 2014 for the first time above the average.

In addition pensioners are still unemployed and lone parents at risk of poverty.