The costs and expenses associated with asylum seekers and refugees in Germany are a topic that often leads to political debates and have now led former Federal President Gauck to change the situation previous practice could be called up. In order to provide an objective overview of the financial situation in connection with migration, some figures from various sources are presented below. The evaluation was carried out by the AI ChatGPT-4.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, state authorities in Germany spent around 6.2 billion euros net on Benefits according to the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act (AsylbLG) issued. That was 3.8% less than the previous year. The benefits under the AsylbLG include the so-called standard benefits, which cover the daily needs of asylum seekers, as well as the special services that are provided in special need situations such as illness, pregnancy or birth. At the end of 2021, around 399,000 people received standard benefits under the AsylbLG, which was 4.3% more than in the previous year.
In addition to the benefits under the AsylbLG, there are other refugee-related expenses in the federal budget, which in 2021 will amount to around 21, 6 billion euros. The largest part of this went to combating the causes of flight (9.8 billion euros), followed by social transfer payments after asylum procedures (5.4 billion euros), payments to relieve the burden on federal states and municipalities (3.0 billion euros), and integration measures (2.5 billion euros) and administrative costs (0.9 billion euros).
A special situation arose in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine, which led to an increase in the number of refugees from this country. The federal government has adhered to the Costs of the states for the accommodation and care of these refugees and a total of 1.5 billion euros were made available. Of this, 500 million euros went to reimbursement of living costs and one billion euros to other costs such as childcare, schooling, health and care costs.
Municipal expenditure on refugees is difficult to determine because it is defined and recorded differently depending on the municipality. However, a study by the Bertelsmann Foundation attempted to provide an overview of spending in eight selected municipalities in 2016-2017. The study came to the conclusion that municipal expenditure per refugee fluctuated between 5,000 and 22,000 euros per year and averaged around 11,000 euros per year. The largest expenditure items were accommodation costs (40%), statutory benefits (30%) and integration measures (20%).
In summary, the costs and expenses related to asylum seekers and refugees in Germany vary depending on the level (federal, state, local), type (statutory or voluntary benefits) and country of origin (Ukraine or others). The overall figures are therefore difficult to compare and evaluate. However, it is important that the financial resources are not only seen as costs, but also as investments in the future of people and society.
**The cumulative expenditure for asylum seekers and refugees from 2015 to 2023 is estimated to be around 150 billion euros.** This results from the sum of expenditure on benefits under the AsylbLG and refugee-related expenditure in the federal budget.
Sources:: https://www.destatis.de/DE/ Topics/Society-Environment/Social Affairs/Asylum Seeker Services/_content.html: https://www .bpb.de/themen/migration-integration/pay-zu-asyl/265776/asyl-related-costs-and-expenses/: https://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/Content/DE/Standardartikel/Themen/Europa/krieg-in-der-Ukraine/finanzielle-unterstuetzung-durch-den-bund.html: https://www .dstgb.de/themen/asyl-und-fluechtlinge/aktuelles/studie-spenden-in-nahhang-mit-gefluechteten/: https://de.statista .com/statistics/data/study/786237/survey/spending-for-asyl-seekers-in-germany/: https ://de.statista.com/statistics/data/study/665598/umfrage/kosten-des-bundes-in-deutschland-durch-die-fluechtlingskritik/
Source(s)
augenauf. blog: Refugee crisis: Germany gave over 150 million from 2015 - 2023...
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