Citizens' money in Germany: Who really benefits from it?

From the beginning of 2023, the basic security for job seekers in Germany was renamed citizen's benefit, no longer known as Hartz IV. This reform includes an increase in financial benefits, a reduction in bureaucracy and improvements in reintegration into the world of work. A further increase in citizens' money is already planned for 2024.

Despite the positive changes, there is criticism. There is opposition from critics, particularly from the right-wing political corner, who demand that the long-term unemployed should not be supported and that millions of people live at the expense of the state. However, these claims have been refuted by the research collective Correctiv.

Current figures and demographics of citizens’ benefit recipients

In 2023, over 84.6 million people lived in Germany, with the population increase in 2022 being due to migration as a result of the Ukraine war. The trend returned to normal in 2023 and was at the average of the last ten years. In June 2024, around 5.5 million people received citizen's benefit, which corresponds to around 6.5% of the population. This represents an increase of 0.7% in the number of citizens' benefit recipients compared to the previous year.

The distribution of citizens' benefit recipients shows that 77% live in West Germany and 23% in East Germany. Of the 5.5 million citizens' benefit recipients, 2.9 million are German citizens, which makes up 52.7% of the total. In addition, 47.3% of recipients are not German citizens. Most foreigners who receive citizenship benefit come from the following countries:

• Ukraine: 716.979
• Syrien: 517.839
• Afghanistan: 200.456 (Anstieg um 9,7% zum Vorjahr)

Around 1.6 million of those receiving citizenship benefit are not able to work, for example due to age or health reasons. In addition, over 2.6 million citizens' benefit recipients are under 30 years old, which corresponds to 47.7% of the total. The gender distribution among recipients shows a slight preponderance of women at 50.4% compared to 49.6% men.

Further details about the statistics are also available on the website Federal Employment Agency visible.

For a deeper insight into the demographic distributions and the specific figures surrounding citizen's money, the information can also be found on South Courier be used.