Benefit costs for refugees and migrants in Germany are rising rapidly. While 5.9 billion euros were allocated to support refugees and migrants in 2021, this amount increased to 12.2 billion euros last year, representing more than a quarter of all spending on unemployment benefits (42.6 billion euros).
This amount is forecast to rise to €13.7 billion in 2024, representing almost 30% of total costs. These data were provided by the German Ministry of Labor at the request of the Sarah Wagenknecht Union (BSW) party, and they became known to BILD.
In 2023, basic assistance under Article SGB II was most often received by citizens of Afghanistan (1.3 billion euros), Syria (3.5 billion), Ukraine (5.8 billion)as well as citizens of Iraq (774 million), Iran (282 million), Eritrea (172 million), Somalia (155 million), Nigeria (125 million) and Pakistan (112 million).
The Ministry of Social Policy takes into account not only refugees, but also persons who “have never undergone asylum procedures or do not have refugee status”. However, the proportion of such people is not specified, and the data does not include Germans with a migration background.
The share of refugee and migrant spending in total benefit spending has increased sharply since 2021, from 16.6% to 29.2% (January to July 2024). The main reason for this was the military conflict in Ukraine, which brought more than 1.3 million refugees into the country, mostly women with small children.
If Germans with a migration background are taken into account, the numbers will be even higher. According to data for October 2024 reported by WELT, 2.543 million of the 4.005 million working-age benefit recipients have a migration background, including people born outside Germany or the children of such parents.
The Ministry of Labor notes that almost 80% of the growth in employment with social insurance in Germany falls on citizens of Ukraine and the eight main countries of origin of asylum seekers. A representative of the department said in an interview with BILD: “These people are active in the community and paying taxes.”
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