Germany’s welfare system is facing growing criticism after new figures revealed that while fewer Germans are claiming benefits, the number of foreign nationals on the country’s basic income support has soared.
Figures released by the federal government in response to a parliamentary question from AfD MP Jan Feser show that the number of foreign Bürgergeld recipients who had never worked in Germany increased from around 621,000 in 2016 to 891,000 in 2024—an increase of about 270,000 people, or 43%
In total, nearly 1.91 million foreigners were receiving Bürgergeld last year, up from 1.47 million in 2016.
At the same time, the number of German citizens on the benefit fell significantly, from 2.85 million to about 2.04 million. Among them, only 257,000 had never held employment in Germany—a decline of nearly 30% over the period.
The most striking increase was observed among nationals from the eight main asylum countries, where welfare recipients rose from roughly 506,000 to over 625,000.
The government argued that many recipients recorded as “never employed” include young people, students, and migrants in training or integration courses. It also stressed that foreign work histories, self-employment, and civil service positions abroad are not recorded in German statistics.
The right-wing AfD, however, has seized on the figures as proof of systemic failure. Bürgergeld is degenerating into “migrant money,” Feser said. Its actual purpose—bringing people into work—is being abandoned. “For more and more foreigners, basic income has become a social hammock.”
The party has long demanded restricting access to Bürgergeld for foreigners, tightening job centre oversight, and replacing cash payments for asylum seekers with vouchers.
As we reported earlier, a separate enquiry in August showed that when spelling variations were combined, “Mohammed” was the most common first name among Bürgergeld claimants. While the government downplayed the significance of the finding, the AfD accused officials of concealing the extent of migrant dependency on welfare.
