Welfare Costs Exploding in Germany, 47.3% of Recipients Are Foreigners

Germany is experiencing exploding welfare costs under the ruling far-left government, with recipients receiving a record €42.6 billion in “citizens’ money” in 2023 compared to €36.6 billion in 2022.

There are now a record 5.49 million citizen’s benefits (or allowance) — which is what Germany calls its welfare system — and approximately 47.3 percent were non-German foreigners, which is four points more than in 2022.

In addition, there was another record €6.3 billion worth of administration costs for the citizen’s benefit program, which is €300 million more than 2022, according to government data obtained by AfD MP Rene Springer after a parliamentary request. If this administrative money is added, then total welfare costs equaled €48.9 billion. Bild notes this figure is 14.8 percent higher than in 2023, 18.4 percent higher compared to 2020, and 23 percent higher compared to 2015.

Now, the largest business association in Germany, the DHK, is accusing the left-liberal government of deliberately creating problems that are eroding Germany’s fiscal strength and worsening the unemployment situation.

The AfD released a statement about the soaring costs of the citizen’s allowance, writing: “Which country in the world allows itself to be exploited in this manner?” The statement continues, noting that “the percentage of people receiving benefits has more than doubled compared to 2010 (19.6 percent). And we are only talking about people who do not have German citizenship. German citizens with a migration background are not included in the 47.3 percent.”

The AfD is noting that many German recipients may have recently been foreigners but since obtaining German citizenship, they are simply listed as Germans in the statistics. The German government does not track the migration background of individuals once they receive German citizenship, which is also the same case for German crime statistics, which nonetheless show that 41 percent of all crimes and 6 out of 10 violent crimes are committed by foreigners.

The data pokes a major hole in the claims that newcomers will help pay for German pensions and help fill demand from German industry, which is desperately searching for skilled workers. In fact, the data shows that the German state spent €48.2 billion on migrants, including social housing, medical costs, education, integration courses, and other expenses.

The Christian Democrats (CDU), which were largely responsible for many of the migrants arriving in Germany under Angela Merkel, also condemned the rising costs. Economic expert Jens Spahn told Bild: “The citizen’s allowance is constantly setting negative records for hindering jobs and spiking costs. A large majority of Germans find it completely unfair.”

He said that many people can earn more simply being unemployed, which weakens the economy.

“The citizen’s allowance should be abolished,” he said.

The Federal Employment Agency indicated that 2.6 million citizen’s allowance recipients were foreigners, a jump of 368,000 or 16.5 percent from 2023.