95 percent of the inherited and gifted assets came from West Germany

95 percent of the assets inherited and given away last year came from West Germany. This was announced by the Federal Statistical Office. According to this, last year 142.5 billion euros, and thus a large part of the total value of wealth transfers taken into account for tax purposes, went to the West.

East Germany including Berlin only comes to eight billion euros. This is also reflected in the taxes assessed: Of the 21.4 billion euros in inheritance and gift taxes nationwide, only one billion was accounted for in the East.

Last year, 1,803 euros were inherited or given away per person nationwide. In the West it was 2,114 euros, in the East only 498 euros, four times less. At the end of 2025, around 19 percent of the German population lived in the eastern German states and Berlin.

However, the figures do not provide an overview of all asset transfers. Most inheritances and gifts are within the exemption limits and do not have to be taxed. As a result, they are not recorded in the statistics of capital transfers taken into account for tax purposes.