Germany's housing crisis deepens as overcrowding hits 12% of residents

Official statistics from Germany’s Federal Statistical Office show that 11.7 % of the population lived in overcrowded apartments in the latest year, up from 10.2 % in 2020 and marking a steady rise over the past five years. The over‑occupation is especially pronounced among foreign‑born residents, with 30.8 % of adults of non‑German nationality living in cramped homes compared with 6.7 % of German citizens. Low‑income households (27.4 %) and families with children (17.6 %) are also disproportionately affected, with large families and single‑parent families facing the highest rates.

AfD Bundestag member Marc Bernhard blamed the federal government for the deepening crisis, asserting that the “Merz‑government” has failed to deliver enough new housing and that high building costs – driven by taxes, CO₂ levies, insulation mandates and extensive bureaucracy – have created a “social catastrophe”. He warned that “almost every eighth person in Germany must live in too small a flat”. The party positions itself as the sole parliamentary force advocating for affordable construction and the removal of state‑induced cost drivers.