30 Facts on 30 Years of German Unity Imprint
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GENERATION #AUFBRUCH 30 FACTS ON 30 YEARS OF GERMAN UNITY IMPRINT Publisher Contact Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Phone: +49 (0)30 2201 2634 Karl-Marx-Straße 2, Fax: +49 (0)30 6908 8102 14482 Potsdam Email: [email protected] Germany Editorial office /freiheit.org Dr. Dirk Assmann, Liberal In stitute o f th e /FriedrichNaumannStiftungFreiheit Friedrich Naumann Foundat ion for Freedom /FNFreiheit ISBN: Issued: Concept and layout 978-3-948950-03-3 August 2020 TroNa GmbH License Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 Note on the use of this publication This publication is an information service of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. The publication is available free of charge and is not intended for sale. Its use by political parties or by election workers during an election campaign for the purpose of election advertising (federal , state and local elections and elections to the European Parliament ) is not allowed. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ECONOMY 10-32 SOCIETY 34-60 FUN FACTS 62-74 30 years of German Unity P. 6 Unemployment P. 12 Urban boom in East Germany P. 36 Footba ll clubs of the 1s t P. 64 Bundesliga 11 Labour Productivity P. 14 Migration movements P. 38 Eating habits P. 66 Gross wages P. 16 East German universities P. 40 Christmas traditions P. 68 Tourism P. 18 Categories: "East" and "West " P. 42 Weddings and divorces P. 70 Innovative strength P. 20 Life satisfaction P. 44 k First names P. 72 Average pension rate P. 22 Life expectancy P. 46 Shopping behaviour P. 74 East German brands P. 24 Civil engagement P. 48 Registered offices of joint P. 26 Rural areas P. 50 stock companies 6666666 View on German Unity P. 52 Company sizes P. 28 Childcare P. 54 Company foundations P. 30 Average age P. 56 Broadband availability P. 32 Female employment rate P. 58 Age at first child P. 60 Introduction - I These expe rience s hav e allo wed Germans to further g row together. The terms "East" and "West" are becoming increasingly blurred. 30 YEARS OF But that this would happe n was not a GERMAN UNITY g iven. B oth p arts o f G ermany h ad to brid ge a divid e before they could grow October 3, 2020 marks the thirtieth anniversary People in Germany have experienced a lot tog ether again. of the Day of German Unity. In a few years together over the past 30 years: the first Germany, which was reunited in 1990, will have participation of the Bundeswehr in NATO's Not only dea ling with th e polit ica l existed longer than its divided predecessor. Kosovo mission , the attacks on the World realities of un ifi ca tion prov ed to be a big . Trade Center , the introduction of the Euro , the chal leng e. Putting the und er lyin g world financial crisis and the Corona crisis are basic s o f Ger m an u n ity - t h e only symbolic of the many challenges that had Einheit svert rag - on a so und lega l to be overcome in both East and West footi ng and re viving the East German Germany. economy we re tremendous achievements. 6 7 INTRODUCTION - II „ ON OCTOBER 3 2020 GER MA NY It is these small differences and peculiarities CELEBRA TES 30 that make life in Germany so interesting . YEARS OF These differences will (and should ) also exist in the future , just as there are differences UNITY. between the people in Bavaria and North Rhine- Westphalia or between the people in Without the great willingness of the people in Time to t ak e stock: In our publication "30 Saxony and Thuringia . the East to change, without the East German Facts about 30 years of German Unity" we It is important that everyone - in East and West, "can-do " attitude, without the courage of take a look at East Germany b efore unification North and South - has the same opportunities many entrepren eur s to g et in volv ed and and the current state of affairs . invest, this w ould not h ave bee n possible. to become happy and live well . On the one hand, this involves major economic At the sam e t ime we want to deal with Without overcoming prejudice and a and social questions : How high is smaller iss ues: Which product s from the constantly developing sense of community , unemployment ? How many people move from East hav e prevailed ? What about eating this great success would have been the West to the East and vice versa? What habits ? How do we spend our Christmas ? unt hinkab le. about the differences in innovative strength ? 8 9 CHAPTER I: ECONOMY ECONOMY - FACT CHECK NO. 1 UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN EAST UNEMPLOYMENT AND WEST GERMANY 20% 18,7% 18% 16% 15% 14% 9,9% 12% 4,7% 10% A real success story can be observed in the East Germany had to cope with the highest 6,4% 1 development of unemployment. In 2019 , unemployment rate of 18 .7 percent in 2005 . 8% 2 the difference in unemployment rates Th at year the unemployment rate in West 6% between East and West Germany was only Germany also reached its highest level with 4% 1.7 percent . 9.9 percent . 2% In West Germany, the unemployment rate At that time, it was not possible to predict 0% was 4.7 percent, in East Germany 6.4 percent. the positive development whic h the Not so long ago, the difference between both German labor market would undergo. part s was still more than ten percen t. 1994 2006 2019 East Germany West Germany 1 This development is partly bec aus e of migration from the federal states of East Germany and the increased retirement age in East Germany 2 The unemployment rate refers to all civilian employees. Source: Statistik d er Bun desagen tur für Arbei t 12 13 ECONOMY - FACT CHECK NO. 2 LABOR PRODUCTIVITY PRODUCTIVITY IN EAST GER MANY AS A PE RCENTAGE O F TH E LE VEL IN W EST GERMANY 84,0% Labor productivity (gross domestic product In 2019, a worker in East Germany 78,0% per employed person) gives important generated 84 percent of the level of a information about how much added value worker in West Germany. Thus, the labor work performance brings . For this reason , productivity in East Germany was 65,633 the indicator is an important measure for the Euro, in West Germany 78,161 Euro. The competitiveness of a region. development is positive on both sides: Productivity in West Germany has 44,7% In 1991, productivity in East Germany increased by about 68 percent since (including Berlin ) was only 44.7 percent German unification. of the level in West Germany. In East Germany, productivity has even After that, a rapid catch-up process set in. By more than tripled - with Berlin as a dynamic 2002, the country had reached almost 77 center, which has grown economically percent of West German labor productivity . In faster than all other German states since 1991 2004 2019 recent years , the East has ca u ght up furthe r, the middle of the last decade . But it has albeit at a much slower pace . not yet r eac hed its true potential . Source: Volkswir tschaftlich e Ges amtrechnung der Länder 14 15 ECONOMY - FACT CHECK NO. 3 GROSS WAGES GROSS WAGES IN EAST GERMANY IN PERCENT OF THE WEST GERMAN LEVEL 87,6% 2019 81,0% 2004 Du ring the first y ears after unif ication wage s While an employee in West Germany in East Germany rose rapidly . By 1996 , East receives an average gross wage of 37,844 58,3% Germany (including Berlin ) had already Euros, an employee in the East earns on reached a wage level of almost 80 percent of average 33, 145 Euros . 1991 that of the West. In the following years, this catching-up Although there are still differences, the process slow ed dow n ; relative wages trend in the Ea st is r em arkable. in East Germany stagnated for so me years . While wages in West Germany have increased by about 72 percent since 1991, But i n t he p ast f ew yea rs the East has caught wages in East Germany have risen by 159 up more rapid ly a gain, reaching 87.6 percent percent . of the W es t's wa ge level in 2019. Source: Volkswir tschaftlich e Ges amtrechnung der Länder 16 17 ECONOMY - FACT CHECK NO. 4 TOURISM OVERNIGHT STAYS PER 1,000 INHABITANTS 8000 7132 7000 6000 5000 4000 5425 3000 2000 1000 If one look s at the absolu te number o f Schleswig -Holstein , in West German y, follows 0 overnight stay s, West Ge rmany is a distant s econ d, with less than 12 ,000 unsurprisingly in the lead. But putting the overnight stays per 1,000 inhabitants. number of overnight stays in relation to 1992 2006 2018 the populat io n rev e a ls q ui te a d iffer ent pictu re: T he Ea s t t ook the lead i n 2 00 1 . It The popularity of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ha s stre ngth e n e d its posi tio n ever si n ce . is not surprising. The Baltic Sea coast, the East Germany West Germany Mecklenburg Lake District and numerous Among all t he Germ an fed era l states , an nature reserves provide the best conditions East German o ne is at the forefront : I n for recreation .