The gap between the rich and poor states is widening more and more

Infografik of October 1, 2025

The infographic for weekly report 40-2025 The infographic is entitled: “The gap between rich and poor states in Germany continues to widen.” It shows the growing differences in the financial strength of the federal states using a map of Germany, an illustration, and two bar charts. At the top left is a color-coded map of Germany. The federal states are divided into three groups: Blue: donor states in the west (e.g., Bavaria, Hesse, Baden-Württemberg) Dark pink: recipient states in the west (e.g., North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland) Light pink: recipient states in the east (e.g., Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) A stylized figure with dumbbells is depicted in the center. The dumbbells bear the words “Financial strength in Germany” and symbolize the unequal economic burden. On the right are two bar charts with the title: “Tax revenue per inhabitant as a percentage of the German federal average”* for the years 2025 and 2070. The bars show how much the revenue in the individual federal states deviates from the average – colored according to the map. At the bottom is a footnote with methodological notes: "Excluding city states. Source: IW Cologne, own calculations.

© DIW Berlin

Topics: Business cycles , Inequality , Public finances , Regional economy , Taxes

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