Social benefits - 5,6 Billion welfare payments for children
Germany spent approximately 5.6 billion Euro on Children and Youth in social benefits in the previous year. This information was obtained from a response by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to a query by AfD Bundestag member René Springer.
According to the data, there were around 1.8 million so-called eligible minors at the end of 2023. The total expenditures on social benefits for recipients amounted to 42.6 billion Euro in the previous year, as shown in a recent response from the Federal Government to another query by Springer.
More Children on Social Benefits
Payments for children on social benefits (previously known as Hartz IV) were 3.3 billion Euro in 2010, according to the data. The number of eligible minors has since increased from 1.67 million to 1.8 million. This increase coincided with a rise in the overall population from 80.3 million (including 13.1 million under 18 years old) to approximately 84.7 million (including 14.3 million under 18 years old).
Social benefits are adjusted annually and linked to wage and price developments. Twelve percent of children were on social benefits at the end of the previous year, according to the data, which has barely changed over the years.
Shift in Expenditure Ratio
The ratio of German and foreign children and youth on social benefits has changed. In 2010, there were around 1.37 million German and 304,000 foreign minor eligible recipients. By the end of 2023, the ratio was 907,000 Germans to 894,000 foreigners.
The largest group of foreign minors on social benefits came from Ukraine (262,000). Syria (203,000), EU countries (131,000), and Afghanistan (80,000) followed. The demands for German beneficiaries decreased from around 2.6 billion Euro to 2.3 billion Euro, while those for foreign beneficiaries increased from 670 million Euro to nearly 3.3 billion Euro.
Springer criticized the situation, calling for a "Migration Turnaround" and the "elimination of the long-standing and additional incentives for migration into the social systems created by the traffic light coalition."
- Rene Springer, a member of the AfD Bundestag from Germany, has continuously questioned the Federal Government about social benefit expenditures.
- The Social Democratic Party-led Federal Government recently disclosed that they spent 5.6 billion Euro on social benefits for children and youth in Berlin and other German regions.
- René Springer was interested in understanding the amount spent on social benefits for children, particularly the increase from 3.3 billion Euro in 2010 to the current 42.6 billion Euro.
- Citizen's Income could potentially replace existing social benefit systems like Hartz IV, reducing the financial burden on the Federal government and providing more equitable support to struggling families with children.
- Under the current system, German citizens account for a larger share of children and youth on social benefits compared to foreign minors, but the demands for foreign beneficiaries have significantly increased over the years.
