Fun fact · Our own analysis of Google Trends data, not official statistics. How we measured it
Money worries
Google search interest for “Pfändung” (seizure of wages or accounts for debt) by state (0–100), January–October 2026
Searches for “Pfändung”, the seizure of wages or bank accounts for unpaid debts, are 1.3× as frequent in the East (88 against 66). Bremen and Saxony-Anhalt lead; prosperous Bavaria is last. Searches for the benefit “Bürgergeld” follow the same line (1.3× East).
Inner-German border 1949–1990 ·16 states · January–October 2026
Former West
66
excl. Berlin
Former East
88
excl. Berlin
Berlin
71
Figures in search index
The East stands at 132% of the West's level (January–October 2026).
By state
- Bremen100
- Sachsen-Anhalt99
- Sachsen89
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern88
- Brandenburg84
- Saarland82
- Nordrhein-Westfalen81
- Thüringen77
- Hamburg77
- Berlin71
- Niedersachsen69
- Schleswig-Holstein68
- Rheinland-Pfalz67
- Hessen64
- Baden-Württemberg57
- Bayern49
January–October 2026
How we measured this
Google Trends, region Germany, resolution by state, web search for the term “Pfändung”, January–October 2026, pulled on 4 November 2026 (one term per request; a repeat pull gave identical values). Google scales each state from 0 to 100 relative to the state with the highest share of searches for the term (100 = most interest), so the index reflects how often a term is searched relative to all searches in a state, not the number of people. East and West are averages of the state values weighted by population on 31 December 2025 (our calculation).
- A search index measures interest, not behaviour: searching for something is not the same as doing it.
- Google samples its data, so values can shift by a few points between pulls.
- States below Google’s reporting threshold are shown without a value.
Notes & caveats
- Related searches, same period: “Bürgergeld” (basic income support): East 84.2, West 64, Berlin 81 (1.3× East). “Schulden” (debts): East 85.5, West 76.6, Berlin 65 (1.1× East). “Rente berechnen” (calculate my pension): East 83.5, West 80.1, Berlin 63 (level).
- Official figures on over-indebtedness are on the household income and unemployment pages; this index shows what people worry about, not how many are in debt.
Show the table
| State | Side | January–October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Saarland | west | 82 search index |
| Berlin | berlin | 71 search index |
| Brandenburg | east | 84 search index |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | east | 88 search index |
| Sachsen | east | 89 search index |
| Sachsen-Anhalt | east | 99 search index |
| Thüringen | east | 77 search index |
| Schleswig-Holstein | west | 68 search index |
| Hamburg | west | 77 search index |
| Niedersachsen | west | 69 search index |
| Bremen | west | 100 search index |
| Nordrhein-Westfalen | west | 81 search index |
| Hessen | west | 64 search index |
| Rheinland-Pfalz | west | 67 search index |
| Baden-Württemberg | west | 57 search index |
| Bayern | west | 49 search index |