One in five in Germany cannot afford one-week holiday

Summer holidays have become unaffordable for many people in Germany, with 21% of people not able to go on a one-week break, according to figures released on Tuesday. 

This amounts to 17.3 million people, the Federal Statistical Office said. Single parents were particularly often short of money, it said, with 39% not able to afford a holiday.

In relative terms, however, significantly more people from Germany can afford a holiday compared to the average across all member states of the European Union. Across the whole bloc, 28% are unable to take a one-week holiday, according to figures from the European statistics office Eurostat.

In Romania 61% could not afford a holiday, the highest rate in Europe. The proportion was smallest in Luxembourg (11%), Sweden (12%) and the Netherlands (13%).