If Germany Is Rich, Why Are Germans Poor and Angry?

Let's not forget that "poverty" means different things in, say, Germany, Bulgaria and USA.

My combined SSA and European benefits as a retired person wouldn't provide me with a nice retirement living in LA, where I would probably be living in a tent on the streets, but having money for nice meals, etc. However, I have a nice apartment near the forest, can save 20% of my retirement for vacations or emergencies, covered by healthcare here in the Alps. Not poor, nor wealthy.

I love when the media reports the economy is going fantastic when what they really mean is it's great for the top 20-10% and borderline dystopian for everyone else LoL

I'm from Switzerland and living in Tokyo, Japan. The public transport strike in Germany reminds me of the bus drivers strike here in Japan. However, the strike in Japan is quite unique!..instead of not working, the buses were operated as usual but the drivers told their passengers that the rides were free, no need to paid the fares. That way, they managed to get their voice heard without inconveniencing the passengers/commuters

Argentina was once the richest country (by GDP per capita) now it's 70th of 191 I guess.

In my Opinion, the biggest Problem with income in germany is not taxes, but social contributions, especially Pension and Care. For 30 years now, it was obvious that those systems will fail because of the aging population if they are not changed towards a capital funded system, instead of pay-as-you-go. At the same time, the biggest generation that is going into penision now did not build up a private pension fund and expects the junger, much smaller generation to pay their pensions with yearly increases for the next 30 years. For pretty much everyone under 40 right now, they would be much better off if their pension and care contributions would be put towards a low cost diversified index fund instead of the current system.

This is not a German problem. It is a general Western issue. Neither the French, British or Americans have affordable housing or affordable basics due to inflation. Looking at the specific German version of the issue may be interesting, but it is not productive.

Poverty in Germany = average standard of living in Russia. Poverty in Russia = brink of survival, enough only for cheapest food and cheapest housing, average standard of living in Mali. Poverty in Mali = you have nothing to eat and nowhere to live, and no one will help you.

I missed the definition of Armut/Armugsgefährdet in Germany: Armut (Poverty): You earn less than 15000 Euros per year. Armutsgefährdet/in danger of poverty: You earn less than 60 % of the average income.

The thing that makes me angry the most is, that we cant have higher minimum salary because that "would rise prices and would not change anything" but yet the prices are rising anyways and companies have their best year EVERY year without giving back to the workers that generate the wealth for companies.

Compared to other European countries, Germany is a welfare state with many opportunities. Nevertheless, everything you have reported is true, and how difficult it is to deal with it, we can see for ourselves.

Even with a really good job, its hart to find a flat, you can pay here in my area. Because of the back to office strategy, i have to drive 10h a week now, or pay 3 times the rent. Stress level in the jobs is going up, look at the burnout rate. The economy is struggling, and the infrastructure is breaking down. And there is a feeling of less safety. My generation altough will not get a big pension.

0:34 "Social harmony has given way to acrimony and division." Yep, that's what a widening wealth gap does.

I'm glad that workers are finally fighting for wage increases. For too long Germany's economic success rested on export competitiveness through artificially repressed wages. It has caused a lot of disruption in Europe. Time to replace the German export model with someting more sustainable.

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The thing with the „pay-as-you-go“ pension system is: It is voucher on FUTURE societal income, paid for by the next generation. If you have shares from Wallstreet it is also a bet on FUTURE incomes and worth of companies BUT it is easily tradeable. The German pension system as it works today was introduced to win an election in the 1950s. It will collapse in a sense that in future more and more pensioners will need additional state funding, rent-control or food stamps. Which is paid for by taxes that need to increase without limit, further squeezing a deteriorating economy. Where does it end? There will be severe cuts to the system one way or another which makes pension perspective dire.

Germans ain't poor, they are just angry. ~ a German loving his life in his country at the moment.

Thanks so much for pointing out the way banks paint a incorrect impression about wealth by leaving pension-entitlements out of their statistics!

I see some reasons. 1. The demoscopic situation. In my parents time 10 workers had to feed maybe 2 pensioners, now its 5 pensioners and soon it will be 7 or 8. 2. Germany did control very much the government debt especially with the Merkel government. We have much less debt than the other G7 countries. Those government spendings ought to go into infrastructure what benefits everybody and same time provide jobs. 3. The wealth gap is nearly as much spread as in the USA.

In Czech Republic we have same prices like in Germany, some food is even cheaper in Germany, but we have 1/3 salary. So tell me how poor Germans are.. €1400 is very good salary here for most people. Operators in factories have way less, yet the cost of living is rising by 15-20% every year now and our PM keeps boasting about how he manages everything perfectly.