Millions of Germans can't afford a seven-day vacation

In the EU last year, more than a quarter of the population – 27 percent – ​​lived in households that could not afford a seven-day trip, according to data from the European statistics office Eurostat.+

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Illustration, Photo: Shutterstock
Illustration, Photo: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

A seven-day vacation was out of reach for many people in Germany last year. More than one in five people, or 21 percent, said they lived in a household that couldn't afford it.

In total, that's 17,4 million people, as calculated by the Federal Statistical Office.

However, the share of those unable to finance a seven-day summer vacation was slightly lower than in 2023, when it was 23 percent.

At the same time, Germans had more access to vacations last year than the average European Union citizen.

In the EU last year, more than a quarter of the population – 27 percent – ​​lived in households that could not afford a seven-day trip, according to data from the European statistics office Eurostat.

Single parents are particularly likely to lack money for a summer vacation, as data from Germany shows. As many as 38 percent of this group were unable to take a summer vacation in 2024.

The share among people living alone was also above average - 29 percent.

For families with children, the ability to finance travel depends significantly on the number of children.

Thus, 16 percent of couples with one or two children in Germany had no money, while the share in households with three or more children was 29 percent.

Compared to other EU countries, people in Romania were the least likely to have enough money for a summer vacation – 59 percent could not afford to travel.

A relatively large share of those without money for a summer vacation was also in Greece – 46 percent, and in Bulgaria – 41 percent.

Lack of money was the least common obstacle in Luxembourg, for nine percent of people, Sweden, 12 percent, and the Netherlands, for 13 percent.

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