Every sixth inhabitant of Lower Saxony is threatened with poverty.
Inflation, the Ukraine war and the consequences of Corona could further exacerbate social hardship and divisions.
Hanover – Every sixth inhabitant of Lower Saxony is at risk of poverty.
As reported by the State Office for Statistics on Thursday (May 12, 2022), the at-risk-of-poverty rate in 2021 was 16.8 percent.
Accordingly, 1.3 million people are affected by relative income poverty.
Across Germany, the rate was 16.6 percent.
The state poverty conference fears social upheaval due to the persistently high numbers.
Those at risk of poverty are those who have less than 60 percent of the average monthly net household income at their disposal.
In 2021, the poverty risk threshold in Lower Saxony was 1,117 euros for a one-person household and 2,346 euros for a household with two adults and two children under the age of 14.
For households of single parents with a child under the age of 14, it was 1,452 euros, as reported by hna.de.
1.3 million Lower Saxony on the poverty line
According to the statistics office, around a fifth of children and young people under the age of 18 in Lower Saxony are considered at risk of poverty (21.0 percent), and around a quarter (24.8 percent) of young adults between the ages of 18 and under 25.
The risk of poverty in old age was also above average in 2021 at 17.9 percent.
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There is still a wide gap in gross income between men and women.
Another study examined this.
(symbol photo)
© Thomas Trutschel/Photothek.de/Imago Images
Historically, this age group, aged 65 and over, has had rates below the national average up to 2019.
The risk of poverty in old age affected women (20.2 percent) significantly more often than men (15.2 percent).
Family circumstances, level of education and employment status have a significant impact on the risk of poverty
The household constellation in which people live is also decisive for the risk of poverty, it said.
At 29.2 percent, one-person households were more than three times as likely to be at risk of poverty as couples without children (9.3 percent).
The level of education and employment status are also important factors influencing the risk of poverty.
The State Office pointed out that the results for 2021 can only be compared to a limited extent with those of previous years due to methodological changes from the 2020 reporting year.
Therefore, hardly any statements can be made about the possible effects of the corona pandemic.
Apart from that, there were some significant increases in the risk of poverty in 2021 compared to 2019, for example among the self-employed (2019: 9.2 percent; 2021: 14.0 percent) and among older people aged 65 and over (2019: 15.4 percent; 2021: 17.9 percent).
Reasons for increasing poverty: inflation, flight, war, climate change and Corona
"Nothing fundamental changes in the classic affected groups of people such as single parents, the unemployed, people with a migration background," said Klaus-Dieter Gleitze, Managing Director of the State Poverty Conference.
Inflation is sometimes extremely high in those product groups on which the poor are particularly dependent, such as staple foods and energy.
"Inflation, flight and war, the consequences of climate change, Corona, possible recession: the struggles over distribution are getting tougher, the social climate more brutal," added Gleitze.
State and society must finally fight poverty and the growing division in society between rich and poor in a national action plan against poverty.
The state poverty conference is calling for an increase in the Hartz IV rates to 600 euros a month, a social labor market for the long-term unemployed and a wealth tax for the super-rich.
Tafel overloaded: too many customers, not enough food
Due to escalating disputes over food allocation, food banks like the one in Helmstedter closed their doors for a week.
"Too many customers meet too little food," said CEO Nadine Kummert on Thursday (May 12, 2022).
At the beginning of this week, the volunteers were so massively insulted, spat on and mobbed that they "had to pull the ripcord".
Recently, the number of people seeking help has quadrupled every week, also due to the newly arriving refugees from Ukraine, said Kummert.
About 200 refugee families, i.e. about 600 people, were added every week.
However, the available food would rather decrease.
"The Ukraine problem broke our necks." (rdg/epd)
In Göttingen, too, the number of customers at the Tafel is increasing, which is why the Göttinger Tafel urgently needs help.
A model project in southern Lower Saxony is intended to open up new perspectives for disadvantaged families.
List of rubrics: © Thomas Trutschel/Photothek.de/Imago Images
