Rising Poverty Threatens Germany’s Highly Educated Workforce

In 2025, around 1.9 million people in Germany with university-level qualifications were at risk of poverty, up 350,000 from 2022, according to data from Germany’s official statistics office and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). Unemployment among graduates rose to 3.3%, while poverty remains higher among people with lower qualifications. Under Germany’s definition, anyone earning less than €1,446 per month is considered at risk of poverty.

In 2025, approximately 1.9 million people in Germany who hold university-level qualifications were considered at risk of poverty, marking a significant rise of 350,000 compared with 2022, according to figures released by Germany’s official statistics office in response to a request from the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). The data highlight a worrying trend in the country’s labor market, showing that even highly educated individuals are increasingly vulnerable to economic insecurity despite their academic achievements.
The increase in poverty risk among graduates comes as the overall number of people with university-level qualifications continues to grow, reaching 21 million nationwide. This expansion in the educated workforce, however, has not been matched by corresponding employment opportunities, with data from the Federal Employment Agency indicating that unemployment among academics rose to 3.3% last year, up from 2.2% three years earlier. The figures suggest that the job market for highly skilled workers is facing pressures, including structural changes in industries, shifts in labor demand, and perhaps the automation of certain skilled tasks.
“Decline and poverty now affect all levels of education,” said Sahra Wagenknecht, the founder of the BSW. She called on policymakers to implement measures to revive the economy and create conditions that allow social mobility through hard work. Wagenknecht emphasized that the rising poverty risk among the educated underscores the need for targeted economic policies, investment in job creation, and programs that strengthen the connection between academic qualifications and sustainable employment opportunities.
Despite this trend among university graduates, poverty remains most prevalent among people with lower or medium levels of education. Of the 14.3 million people with low qualifications, approximately 4.1 million were considered at risk of poverty in 2025. These figures highlight the persistent disparities in income and employment opportunities based on educational attainment and underline the continued importance of policies aimed at improving skills, training, and access to stable employment for less educated groups.
Under Germany’s official definition, anyone earning less than 60% of the country’s median income is considered at risk of poverty. For a single adult, this threshold was €1,446 per month last year. This benchmark provides a standardized measure to assess economic vulnerability across different demographic groups and to monitor trends in social inequality. The rising number of highly educated individuals at risk signals that achieving a university degree, while still a significant advantage, is no longer a guaranteed safeguard against economic hardship in an increasingly complex and competitive labor market.
Overall, the data present a nuanced picture of Germany’s social and economic landscape, showing that while education remains a key factor in improving life chances, broader structural challenges, labor market dynamics, and economic policies play crucial roles in determining whether academic qualifications translate into financial security and stability.