Decades after German reunification, substantial income disparities persist between East and West Germany, and according to recent figures, this gap has actually widened. Data from the Federal Statistical Office, reported by the Funke media group, shows that last year, households in the five new federal states and Berlin had an average of 7,247 euros less in disposable net income than their counterparts in the West (Eastern Germany: €42,259; Western Germany: €49,506).
These statistics include all types of income for citizens-such as wages, pensions, and rental or capital income-all after deductions for taxes, social contributions, and regular transfers between private households. The BSW party, now operating under the name “Alliance for Social Justice and Economic Reason,” requested these figures from the statistical authority. The widening trend is clear: in 2024, East German households reported a net shortfall of 7,080 euros, compared to 6,979 euros in 2023 and 7,027 euros in 2022.
Sahra Wagenknecht, a founder of the BSW, stated to the Funke media group that the fact that income differences between East and West are increasing “is a disgrace to the politics surrounding the Unity Day. A difference of over 7,000 euros in annual income for East German households is not a small difference, but a bitter balance sheet after 36 years.” She added that the concept of a unified standard of living is unrealistic.
When looking at regional performance, Saxony-Anhalt registered the lowest average household net income last year at 38,284 euros, with Saxony closely following behind at 39,500 euros. Intriguingly, a Western state, Bremen, ranked third with 39,955 euros, followed by Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (40,818 euros), Thuringia (42,959 euros), Brandenburg (45,569 euros), and Berlin (45,646 euros).
The economic leaders were Bavaria (53,067 euros), followed by Baden-Württemberg (51,923 euros), Hesse (49,538 euros), Rhineland-Palatinate (48,813 euros), and North Rhine-Westphalia (48,455 euros). The absolute difference between the highest- and lowest-income states (Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt) stands at 14,783 euros.
Thomas Schulze, the chairman of the BSW parliamentary group in Saxony-Anhalt, suggested that this disparity reflects “the result of 24 years of CDU-led state government,” calling Saxony-Anhalt “the poorhouse of the Republic.” He cautioned that if the new majority in the state parliament fails to change the disastrous economic and energy policies, the region faces the “ruin of industry and the loss of thousands of well-paid jobs.”
