During 2024, roughly 134,000 young people were placed in residential homes and about 87,500 were placed in foster families across Germany. According to figures released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Monday, this meant that around 221,500 children, adolescents or young adults were, at least temporarily, living outside their own family. Compared with 2023, the number of affected individuals rose by 3 %-about 7,000 more cases-making this the second consecutive increase after five years of decline (2023: +4 %).
A major factor behind the uptick is the situation of minors who arrived unaccompanied. After temporary guardianship by youth authorities, many of these children are placed in residential homes or other supervised living arrangements, and to a lesser extent in foster families. Roughly two‑thirds of the 2024 increase (69 % or 4,800 cases) can be attributed to this. In total, 25,300 young people were cared for in homes or foster families as a result of guardianship following unaccompanied arrivals. A vast majority-94 %-were housed in homes, group homes or other supervised accommodations, while only 6 % were placed in foster families.
Among those placed in homes or foster families in 2024, slightly more were male (57 %) than female (43 %). About three‑quarters (76 %) were still minors. Children up to the age of ten were more likely to be in foster families; from eleven onwards, placement in homes dominated. Nearly a quarter (24 %) of the affected were “care leavers”-young adults transitioning from public child‑care support to independent life.
Parental circumstances varied widely. Single parents accounted for almost every second case (47 %) and were therefore especially common. In about a fifth of cases (18 %) the parents lived together, and another 16 % had parents in a new partnership. In the remaining cases-such as those following unaccompanied arrivals-the family situation was unknown (17 %) or the parents had passed away (2 %). On average, placement outside the family ended after 2.4 years. Stays in a residential home averaged 1.8 years, significantly shorter than in a foster family, where the average duration was 4.3 years.
Nearly 61,100 young people were newly placed in a residential home or foster family in 2024. The most frequently cited primary reason was the loss of a caregiver (19 %-often due to an unaccompanied arrival from abroad or a parent’s illness). The second most common reason was limited parental competence (15 %), such as parenting uncertainty or pedagogical overload. The third most common reason for a new placement was a threat to the child’s welfare through neglect, abuse or sexual violence (13 %).
