Skip to content

Why benefits offered to asylum seekers in Germany more than doubled last year

The number of asylum seekers and refugees receiving state benefits in Germany more than doubled last year compared to 2014.

Only 13 percent of refugees receiving state benefits in Germany were from Africa
Only 13 percent of refugees receiving state benefits in Germany were from Africa

At least 975,000 asylum seekers received state benefits in the framework of the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act (AsylbLG). The figure amounts to a 169 percent increase from 363,000 in 2014, DW reported.

The Federal Statistics Office in Wiesbaden said the number of recipients has increased for the sixth time in a row since 2010, when such benefits were only granted to 130,000 refugees.

Some 67 percent of the recipients of state benefits last year were male while 33 percent were female.

Sixty three percent of the recipients were from Asia (616.000), followed by 22 percent from Europe (212,000) and 13 percent from Africa.

According to the AsylbLG, state benefits for refugees last year amounted to almost 5.3 billion euros.

RELATED ARTICLE: Angela Merkel’s refugee policy blamed for defeat in regional elections

Most of the recipients were not given cash but basic benefits to cater for their needs such as food, housing, heating, clothing, health and hygiene articles and household items. An additional monthly cash allowance for personal needs was also granted to refugees, DW reported.

The steep rise in state benefits for asylum-seekers in Germany last year should not be surprising since the country took in almost one million refugees in 2015.