Berliners on welfare benefits

Almost 20 per cent of Berlin residents were claiming state benefits at the end of 2007. The latest figures released by Destatis, the government statistics office show that Berlin was well above the German national average, at 19.9 per cent, while wealthier states such as Bavaria had a rate of just five per cent. Up to 75 per cent of those claiming were receiving unemployment benefit, according to a report in the Local online.