Data published by Germany’s Federal Employment Agency (BA) has revealed that over 60% of those who can work but instead receive state welfare payments in 2023 have migrant backgrounds, with that number rising to over 70% in certain federal states and among younger age cohorts.

Of the 3,928,353 employable people who received ‘citizens’ money’ (Bürgergeld), formerly known as Hartz IV social welfare benefits, in 2023, 2,455,104 have migrant backgrounds. This corresponds to 62.5%; a notable increase from the 59.9% recorded the previous year, the German news portal NiUS reported.

This means that individuals with migrant backgrounds—defined by Germany’s statistical agency as those with at least one parent who does not have German citizenship—are vastly overrepresented as social welfare recipients, given that this group comprises just 24.3% of the German population.

In the state of Hesse, where one in every three inhabitants has a migrant background, the percentage of those with migrant backgrounds who receive ‘citizens’ money’ climbs to 76%. Among the state’s 15- to 25-year-old age cohort, the proportion of welfare recipients is 82.4%.

Meanwhile, in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Hamburg, Bavaria, and Berlin, those with migration backgrounds made up 73.7%, 72.3%, 64.4%, and 67.8% of  ‘citizens’ money’ recipients. There are also notable differences between the eastern and western federal states. In the east, for example, 47.1% of citizens benefit recipients have migration backgrounds while in the western federal states that figure jumps to 67.2%.

Nationwide nearly 60% of benefit recipients have been unemployed for at least a year, and of this number, 55.6% have migration backgrounds.

Commenting on the BA’s figures, AfD MP René Springer said:

The migration policy of the last decades has failed catastrophically. Rigorous measures are now needed to stop immigration into our social systems: complete border protection and rejections at our national borders, consistent deportations, and, from now on, only benefits in kind instead of cash for asylum seekers and refugees.

AfD MEP Christine Anderson responded similarly, writing on social media that “Europe and the EU must pull the ripcord on migration.”

The BA’s report comes weeks after Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) published its 2022 “Federal situation report on crime in the context of immigration” which showed 47,923 German citizens fell victim to violent crimes carried out by immigrants, a year-over-year increase of 18%.

Last year, Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) revealed that in 2021 Germany’s foreign population—those living in Germany with foreign passports—made up 37.7% of suspects arrested for violent crimes such as assault, manslaughter, and murder, despite comprising around 12% of the population.