Press release No. 554 of 21 December 2022
WIESBADEN – In December 2021, 4.96 million people in Germany were in need of long-term care as defined by the Long-Term Care Insurance Act (German Social Code, Book XI). The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that the number of people in need of long-term care amounted to 4.13 million in December 2019. The large increase of 0.83 million (+20%) still shows effects of the broader concept of the need for long-term care introduced on 1 January 2017. Since that time, many more people than before have been classified as in need of long-term care. Furthermore, an estimated 160,000 people entitled to care grade 1 benefits had previously not been included, which accounts for part of the increase. Different benefit rules apply to care grade 1, which means in particular that people in need of grade 1 care do not receive long-term care allowance.
