Welfare organizations, in German known as Wohlfahrtsorganisationen, support vulnerable or disadvantaged members of German society. Their work encompasses a wide variety of areas such as social work (for children and young people, migrants, senior citizens, those with a disability), poverty reduction, health programs, and counseling.

There are six main welfare organizations operating in Germany:

  • Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO)
  • Deutscher Caritasverband
  • Deutscher Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband
  • Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK)
  • Diakonie Deutschland
  • Zentralwohlfahrtsstelle der Juden in Deutschland

Wohlfahrtsorganizationen can be said to represent the backbone of the German social sector, with the five largest organizations providing social services worth around €55 billion per year. Together they employ about 1.5 million people across their 100,000+ facilities and also work with an additional 2.5 to 3 million volunteers. With more than 617,000 employees, Caritas is the largest single employer in Germany, and, together with the Diakonisches Werk, employs more people than the entire German automotive industry!

While Wohlfahrtsorganizationen represent the more traditional side of the German social sector, and are therefore sometimes thought of as lacking in innovation, in recent years they have done a lot to change that image.