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Vacation for everyone? One in four people in Germany stays at home!
Almost 25% of Germans cannot afford a vacation. Special backgrounds and voices of affected families are highlighted.
Vacation for everyone? One in four people in Germany stays at home!
In Germany, almost one in four citizens cannot afford a week-long vacation. According to current surveys based on data from the Federal Statistical Office, over 22% of the population have to stay at home during the holidays due to financial restrictions. This particularly affects single parents, 43.2% of whom have to rule out the possibility of taking a vacation. Families with several children are also particularly burdened, as 29% of households with two adults and three or more children cannot take any vacation. In comparison, the proportion in households with one or two children is 16%.
The results show that in 2024, a total of 21% of the German population lived in households that could not afford a week-long vacation. This represents 17.4 million people, which represents a slight decrease compared to the 23% in the previous year. The situation is particularly challenging for people living alone, with almost 29% saying they cannot afford a vacation.
Offers for conversation and personal stories
The editorial team of The time would like to discuss this topic. Those affected are encouraged to share their personal stories, experiences and thoughts. Key questions for these people include how it feels to have to forego vacation and what long-term impact this has on the children.
In addition, political demands to improve this situation are also asked. The editorial team has set up a contact form and an email address – community-redaktion@zeit.de – to facilitate dialogue. Selected articles could be published anonymously to create a protected space for reporting.
EU comparison
A European comparison shows that Germany, with a share of 27% of households that cannot afford a week-long vacation, is below the EU average. Households least affected are in Luxembourg (9%), Sweden (12%) and the Netherlands (13%). What is striking are the high proportions in Romania with 59%, Greece with 46% and Bulgaria with 41%, which illustrate the problems with holiday income within the EU.
The survey that provides this data comes from the EU-SILC survey, which has been integrated as a subsample in the microcensus since 2020. This survey measures the risk of poverty and living conditions in Germany and the EU and uses households' self-assessment of financial vacation planning as an indicator of material and social deprivation.