BERLIN, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Inheritances and gifts in Germany remained heavily concentrated in the country's western states in 2025, with 95% of taxable asset transfers taking place there, the German statistics office Destatis said on Tuesday.
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Tax authorities assessed €142.5 billion ($161.54 billion) in inherited and gifted assets in western Germany, compared with €8.0 billion in the eastern states and Berlin.
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The gap was also stark on a per-capita basis. Western states recorded just over €2,100 in taxable inheritances and gifts per resident, more than four times the roughly €500 recorded in eastern states and Berlin.
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The eastern states and Berlin accounted for 19% of Germany's population at the end of 2025, but only 5% of the value of taxable wealth transfers.
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The economy of the former East Germany has transformed since the defunct communist state reunited with the vastly wealthier West Germany in 1990, but more than a generation on it still lags the west in some key areas.
($1 = 0.8821 euros)
Reporting by Maria Martinez Editing by Ludwig Burger
Source: Reuters