WIESBADEN (dpa-AFX) – Approximately one in nine people in Germany is forced to cope with cramped living conditions. In 2025, 11.7 percent of the population lived in overcrowded dwellings, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office based on EU figures. The problem has intensified over a five-year period: in 2020, 10.2 percent of people in the country lived in homes with too few rooms for the number of occupants.
Foreign nationals are particularly affected: in 2025, the proportion of adults in this group living in overcrowded housing stood at 30.8 percent, nearly five times higher than among German nationals aged 18 and over (6.7 percent). People at risk of poverty (27.4 percent) also rank among the most affected groups, according to the figures derived from the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) survey.
Housing shortages frequently impact children
Under the EU-SILC definition, a single-person household is considered overcrowded if it does not have at least two rooms, such as a separate living room and bedroom. Dwellings are also classified as overcrowded if they lack one room for two children under the age of 12, or one room per child between the ages of 12 and 17 if they are of different sexes.
According to the statistics, households with children are particularly likely to face cramped living conditions (17.6 percent). For individuals in households without children, the figure was only 7.2 percent. Among households with children, single parents and their offspring (29.6 percent) were among those most severely affected by overcrowding.
In general, the shortage of living space frequently impacts children and adolescents, the Federal Statistical Office noted. In 2025, the proportion of minors living in homes with insufficient rooms was 19 percent. For people aged 65 and over, the figure was just 3.1 percent.
‘The search for suitable and affordable housing is becoming increasingly difficult for many,’ the Federal Statistical Office wrote. ‘This is especially true for those who require more space.’
Germany fares better than EU average
With these figures, Germany remains significantly below the EU average, where 16.8 percent of people live in overcrowded housing. The rate was highest in 2025 in Romania, at over 40 percent, and Latvia, at nearly 39 percent, while it was lowest in Cyprus (2.2 percent) and the Netherlands (4.1 percent)./als/DP/mis