Jeder zweite Student mit eigenem Haushalt lebt in Deutschland von weniger als 867 Euro im Monat. Dies geht aus Zahlen hervor, die das Statistische Bundesamt am Mittwoch veröffentlichte. Sie beruhen auf der EU- Statistik über Einkommen und Lebensbedingungen (EU-SILC) für das Jahr 2023.
77 Prozent der Studenten, die allein oder in einer Wohngemeinschaft mit anderen Studenten oder Auszubildenden lebten, waren demnach im vergangenen Jahr armutsgefährdet. Für die Erhebung wurde das Nettoäquivalenzeinkommen errechnet. Der Wert ergibt sich aus dem Gesamteinkommen eines Haushalts und der Anzahl der Personen, die von diesem Einkommen leben. Berücksichtigt wurden Studenten und Auszubildende ab 18 Jahren, die allein oder ausschließlich mit anderen Studenten oder Auszubildenden zusammenlebten.
Auszubildende sind laut Erhebung finanziell deutlich besser aufgestellt. Wie das Statistische Bundesamt mitteilte, lag ihr mittleres Nettoäquivalenzeinkommen im vergangenen Jahr bei 1240 Euro. Dabei hätten sie deutlich weniger finanzielle Unterstützung von Angehörigen bekommen als Studenten. Im Schnitt habe das eigene Erwerbseinkommen bei den Auszubildenden 80 Prozent des Gesamteinkommens ausgemacht, finanzielle Hilfe von den Eltern lediglich 7 Prozent. Auch der Bafög-Bezug sei bei ihnen mit knapp 2 Prozent äußerst gering gewesen.
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As the survey of students showed, paid work is also an important source of income for them. At almost 41 percent, it accounted for the highest share of total income, according to the Federal Office. This was followed by support from relatives at 32 percent. 15 percent came from student loans or scholarships and around 13 percent from benefits such as child benefit or survivors’ pensions.
More than a third of the students paid for most of their living expenses themselves. For 41 percent, parental support was the most important source of income. 14 percent of the students financed themselves mainly through student loans or scholarships. The clear majority of trainees (91 percent) financed themselves mainly through their own employment.
77 percent of students are at risk of poverty
Nevertheless, according to the Federal Statistical Office, both groups are at risk of poverty. Regardless of whether they still lived with their parents or not, more than a third of all students and 18 percent of trainees were at risk of poverty last year. The proportion was significantly higher among those who lived alone or in a shared flat. According to the Federal Office, 77 percent of these students and more than half of the trainees living in this way were at risk of poverty. Compared to society as a whole, this is a significantly higher proportion. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the figure here was 14 percent last year.
An EU directive defines who is considered poor. It measures relative poverty in comparison to the average social income. A person is considered to be at risk of poverty if they have less than 60 percent of the average income of the total population at their disposal.
According to statistics, the German threshold for people living alone in 2023 was a net income of 1,314 euros per month. In 2022, the survey showed a monthly net income of 1,250 euros as the limit. The fact that the cost of living for students in Greifswald, for example, is lower than in Munich is not taken into account in this analysis.
Burdened by high housing costs
The Federal Office cited high housing costs as a particular financial burden. Their average share of disposable household income was 54 percent for students and 42 percent for trainees. This significantly exceeds the overall societal average of 25 percent.
According to the Federal Office, housing costs led to financial overload for almost two-thirds of students last year. This is the case when the housing cost burden after deducting transfer payments is more than 40 percent. In the group of trainees, this was the case for about half. In society as a whole, the proportion was 13 percent last year.
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