3.8 million people in Germany live in households behind on utility bills

In 2025, about 3.8 million people in Germany lived in households that were behind on bills from utility providers, including electricity or gas bills. This represented 4.6% of the population.

The Federal Statistical Office said the share was slightly lower than in 2024, when people in households with such arrears made up 5.0% of the population. The result is based on households’ self-assessments in the EU-SILC survey.