According to a study by the German Center for Integration and Migration Research, those who are exposed to racist discrimination have a significantly increased risk of poverty in Germany. As the results of the study show, this also applies when those affected by racism have a high level of education and work.
The researchers note that full-time workers are less likely to live below the poverty threshold, “but there are still clear differences between racially marked and non-racially marked people.” While the risk of poverty for full-time working German men and women without a migration background is five percent each, the probability of being affected by poverty is significantly higher for Muslim men in full-time employment at 21 percent.
Black women with full-time jobs have a very high risk of poverty at 22 percent. For people with a migrant background born in Germany who completed their training in Germany, the risk of poverty is lower than for immigrants who acquired their qualifications abroad. However, the chances of a good income are also lower for this group than for Germans without a migration history with comparable educational qualifications.
According to the institute, the study is based on a survey by the National Discrimination and Racism Monitor, for which around 13,000 people have been surveyed regularly since 2022. The representative online survey is intended to provide insights into the attitudes and experiences of various population groups. For the analyses, the survey participants were asked whether they felt like they belonged to one of these groups: Black people, Asians, Muslims. According to the authors of the study, the risk of poverty is particularly high among refugees from Syria and Afghanistan who have come to Germany since 2013.
