1 in 6 Germans faced poverty risks in 2013

Despite being the biggest economy in Europe, Germany still suffered from social imbalance problem. Official data showed on Tuesday that around one in six German people faced risks of poverty in 2013.
Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said that in 2013, about 13 million people, or 16.1 percent of the total population, were at risks of poverty. The ratio remained unchanged from the previous year.
A person was considered as at poverty risks if he or she earned less than 60 percent of average income of the total population. In 2013, the threshold for a person living alone in Germany was 979 euros (about 1242 U.S. dollars) per month. For a family with two adults and two children, the monthly income threshold was 2056 euros.
Destatis data showed that single parents were the most vulnerable group, as 35.2 percent of them were at poverty risks. They were followed by women living alone, among whom 32.2 percent earned less than 979 euros a month.
Family with two adults and two children had the lowest risks with a ratio of 8.5 percent.
Classified by sex, the data also showed that women were more vulnerable, as they were at higher risks than men in all age groups.
For the senior, the risks was at medium level, as 15 percent of the retired had an income below the poverty threshold.