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Photo: Michael Gstettenbauer / IMAGO
In times of high energy prices, a warm home is not a matter of course for many people: Last year, 5.5 million people in Germany lived in households that, according to their own estimates, could not keep their house or apartment adequately warm due to a lack of money. This corresponds to around 6.6 percent of the population, according to the Federal Statistical Office. "The share has doubled compared to 2021," it said. "The main reason for the increase is likely to have been higher energy prices in connection with the war in Ukraine."
People in single-parent households were particularly affected: around 14.1 percent of them stated that they were unable to heat their homes adequately due to a lack of money. People in households with two adults and at least three children (9.7 percent) and people living alone (7.3 percent) were also affected more often than average.
With a population share of 6.6 percent, Germany is well below the EU average: In the European Union (EU), around 9.3 percent of the population was not financially able to keep their homes adequately warm last year, according to their own estimates. The share also increased across the EU compared to 2021, when it was 6.9 percent.
Residents of Bulgaria were the most likely to say that they were unable to heat their homes adequately, with just over one in five (22.5 percent) affected. This was followed by Cyprus (19.2 percent) and Greece (18.7 percent). The lowest share was recorded in Finland (1.4 per cent), Luxembourg (2.1 per cent) and Slovenia (2.6 per cent).
The data are the results of the European Community statistics on income and living conditions. Households' self-assessment of adequate heating is one of the criteria for measuring material and social deprivation.
hej/Reuters