Germany's taxable wealth transfers remain heavily skewed to the west
Germany's taxable inheritances and gifts stayed concentrated in the western states in 2025, with the east and Berlin far behind on both total value and per-capita terms.
Taxable inheritances and gifts in Germany remained sharply concentrated in the country's western states in 2025, with 95% of the value of such asset transfers recorded there, the federal statistics office Destatis said on Tuesday.
Tax authorities assessed €142.5 billion, or about $161.54 billion, in inherited and gifted assets in western Germany. The eastern states together with Berlin accounted for €8.0 billion.
The disparity is equally pronounced 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 across the eastern states and Berlin.
Population figures underline the imbalance. The eastern states and Berlin were home to 19% of Germany's population at the end of 2025, yet they received only 5% of the value of taxable wealth transfers.
More than three decades after the former communist East Germany reunited with the wealthier West in 1990, the eastern economy has undergone substantial change but continues to trail the west in several key areas.