One in five Germans can't afford a holiday
More than 20 percent of Germans can't afford a week’s holiday, and 30 percent said they were unable to cover "unexpected expenses" such as house repairs or big purchases, according to a study released on Tuesday.
The survey, from federal statistics office Destatis which gathered the data in 2012, asked participants whether they could afford to pay for a week away from home each year, and if they felt they could handle unexpected costs - essential purchases costing €940 or more.
It also found around eight percent of respondents felt they could not afford to eat a meal including meat, poultry or fish at least once every two days.
The results show that since the corresponding study four years earlier in 2008, the number of Germans who couldn't afford holidays dropped by 3.3 percent.
And the number who said they couldn't afford to cover unexpected expenses went down by 1.5 percent, while the proportion who felt they could not budget for a meal with meat or fish fell 2.7 percent.
The 2012 report's results for the general public place Germany well above the EU average.
In the EU overall, around 40 percent said they could neither afford to pay for unexpected costs, nor spend a week away each year.
And 20 percent of EU citizens said they were unable to afford to eat a meal with meat or fish every two days - a full 12 percent more than in Germany.
But specifically among those "in danger of poverty" – defined by Destatis as anyone earning 60 percent or less of the national median wage – Germany's figures increased significantly.
Around 58 percent of these low-earners said they could not pay for a holiday, while 25 percent could not afford a meal with meat or fish, just one percent shy of the corresponding number for poverty-endangered people at the EU level.
SEE ALSO: Which tourists spend the most in luxury Berlin?
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The survey, from federal statistics office Destatis which gathered the data in 2012, asked participants whether they could afford to pay for a week away from home each year, and if they felt they could handle unexpected costs - essential purchases costing €940 or more.
It also found around eight percent of respondents felt they could not afford to eat a meal including meat, poultry or fish at least once every two days.
The results show that since the corresponding study four years earlier in 2008, the number of Germans who couldn't afford holidays dropped by 3.3 percent.
And the number who said they couldn't afford to cover unexpected expenses went down by 1.5 percent, while the proportion who felt they could not budget for a meal with meat or fish fell 2.7 percent.
The 2012 report's results for the general public place Germany well above the EU average.
In the EU overall, around 40 percent said they could neither afford to pay for unexpected costs, nor spend a week away each year.
And 20 percent of EU citizens said they were unable to afford to eat a meal with meat or fish every two days - a full 12 percent more than in Germany.
But specifically among those "in danger of poverty" – defined by Destatis as anyone earning 60 percent or less of the national median wage – Germany's figures increased significantly.
Around 58 percent of these low-earners said they could not pay for a holiday, while 25 percent could not afford a meal with meat or fish, just one percent shy of the corresponding number for poverty-endangered people at the EU level.
SEE ALSO: Which tourists spend the most in luxury Berlin?
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