UN Report Says German Prosperity Leaves Too Many Behind

Independent expert urges stronger social protection, equal access and rights-led development policy

Germany’s economic strength and extensive public institutions are not delivering equal opportunities for everyone, according to a United Nations report that calls for stronger social protection, anti-discrimination safeguards and public participation.

The report by UN Special Rapporteur Surya Deva praises Germany’s commitment to sustainable development, refugee protection and infrastructure renewal. It nevertheless finds persistent inequalities affecting women, children, migrants, refugees, people with disabilities and residents of economically weaker regions.

Deva conducted a ten-day country visit in November 2025, holding meetings in Berlin, Cottbus, Düsseldorf and Gelsenkirchen. His findings were presented during the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The assessment examines Germany through the “right to development”: the principle that people should be able to participate in, contribute to and benefit from economic, social, cultural and political development. The report treats development as more than economic growth, asking whether public policy allows all communities to exercise their rights and shape decisions affecting their lives. The European Times has reported numerous times in which some citizens are denied this right based on their religion too.

Strong institutions, unequal outcomes

Germany receives credit for embedding the Sustainable Development Goals in public policy. The report highlights the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Sustainable Development and Future-Related Matters, the German Council for Sustainable Development and municipal initiatives such as voluntary local reviews.

It also welcomes the €500 billion special fund for infrastructure and climate neutrality, which is intended to support schools, hospitals, childcare facilities, railways, roads and digital systems.

However, Deva says underinvestment has already left parts of Germany’s public infrastructure showing signs of decay. Housing affordability is becoming a major problem in larger cities, particularly for migrants, students and lower-income households. The report cites an estimated need for approximately 320,000 new homes annually until 2030.

Drawing on 2022 data, it says poverty affected 20.9% of the population. Women, children, people with migrant backgrounds and those living in eastern Germany or the Ruhr region face disproportionate risks.

The report also points to a sharp rise in complaints received by the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, from 4,247 in 2019 to 13,067 in 2025. Racial discrimination complaints increased from 1,167 in 2019 to 3,858 in 2024.

Deva recommends amending the General Equal Treatment Act, extending protection to discrimination by public authorities and strengthening the agency’s limited investigative and enforcement powers. He also calls on Germany’s federal states to establish effective anti-discrimination laws and institutions.

The findings echo a wider European concern: formal legal protection does not always produce an accessible remedy for minorities or people with limited resources, as The European Times has previously examined.

Women carry unequal costs

The report credits Germany’s feminist development policy and legislation increasing women’s representation on corporate supervisory boards. Yet it finds that women remain underrepresented in parliament, the judiciary and corporate executive positions.

Women earned an average of 16% less than men, according to figures cited by the report. Deva describes Germany’s gender pay gap as among the highest in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The difference is reinforced by unequal care responsibilities. While 93% of fathers with school-age children work full time, the report says the equivalent figure for mothers is 37.1%. Reduced working hours and career interruptions contribute to a pension gap of up to 36% among people over 65 who do not receive survivor benefits.

Deva recommends affordable childcare, greater investment in the care economy, stronger domestic-violence services and decisive measures to close pay and pension gaps. He also urges employers to address harassment and other structural barriers inside workplaces.

Barriers facing migrants, refugees and disabled people

The assessment recognises Germany’s major role in hosting refugees and its need for approximately 400,000 skilled workers annually. It nevertheless records allegations of recruitment debt, wage theft, precarious work and barriers to healthcare among migrant workers.

Deva is particularly critical of rules requiring some public bodies to report undocumented patients to immigration authorities. He argues that this deters people from seeking healthcare and recommends repealing the relevant provision of the Residence Act.

The report also raises serious concerns about refugee and asylum-seeking children. It says lengthy status and family-reunification procedures can damage mental health and development. Children with subsidiary protection have faced a two-year suspension of family reunification since August 2025, while some asylum-seeking children have been directed to schools inside reception facilities rather than mainstream classrooms.

For people with disabilities, the report finds that Germany remains overly dependent on residential institutions and segregated workshops. Workers in those workshops may receive less than the statutory minimum wage because they are not legally classified as employees.

Deva also reports widespread accessibility problems on public transport. He says infrastructure financed through Germany’s special fund should comply with international accessibility standards and allow people with disabilities to travel autonomously.

Aid policy and corporate responsibility

Germany remains one of the world’s largest development donors, providing €30 billion in official development assistance in 2024. However, the report notes that the budget of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development fell from €11.2 billion in 2024 to €10.31 billion in 2025.

German aid amounted to 0.56% of gross national income in 2025, below the internationally agreed 0.7% target. Deva warns that further reductions could worsen poverty, hunger, inequality and instability abroad while also producing consequences for Germany.

He is also concerned by a shift towards aid explicitly linked to German access to raw materials, migration control and contracts for German or European companies. National interests are legitimate, the report says, but should not displace the priorities of communities that development programmes are intended to support.

The Special Rapporteur similarly warns against weakening Germany’s supply-chain due-diligence legislation or European corporate accountability rules. Human rights compliance, he argues, cannot be treated as optional when German businesses operate overseas.

Colonial responsibility remains unresolved

The report calls on Germany to issue an unconditional apology and provide reparations for the genocide of the Ovaherero and Nama peoples in colonial-era Namibia. It distinguishes reparations from development assistance and says affected Indigenous communities must participate meaningfully in negotiations.

Deva also asks Germany to return human remains and cultural objects held by museums, universities and private collections.

Separately, the report raises concerns about a proposed green-hydrogen project on ancestral Nama land in Great Namaqualand. Renewable-energy projects should not bypass requirements for free, prior and informed consent or rigorous human-rights and environmental assessments, it says.

Recommendations are influential but non-binding

UN special rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council. Their reports can influence national and international debate, but their recommendations are not judicial decisions and are not legally enforceable. The right to development is rooted in a 1986 UN declaration that is not itself binding, although it incorporates principles found in binding human-rights law.

The German Institute for Human Rights said the report offers concrete measures for achieving inclusive, sustainable and participatory development.

The assessment also has limits. Deva visited four cities over ten days. He was unable to meet several relevant federal ministries, while time constraints prevented meetings with trade unions, individual businesses and academics. Many findings rely on information from civil society organisations and statistics collected in different years.

The report nevertheless presents Germany with a coherent challenge. Development cannot be measured solely through national wealth, infrastructure spending or industrial competitiveness. It must also be judged by whether people can access services, challenge discrimination and participate meaningfully in decisions.

Germany already possesses many of the institutions needed to respond. The central question is whether its investment, social policy and international influence will be directed towards closing the gaps those institutions have not yet overcome.