What loneliness really means
Loneliness isn’t simply being alone — it’s the painful gap between the relationships we have and the ones we long for.
Psychologists distinguish it from social isolation, which refers to the number of social contacts one has. Someone can live alone yet feel content and connected; another person may live surrounded by others and still feel desperately lonely.
The Robert Koch Institute defines loneliness as a subjective emotional state, often linked to feelings of disconnection, emptiness, or invisibility. These emotions can be fleeting — or, when persistent, profoundly harmful.
The scale of the problem in Germany
The German Loneliness Barometer 2024, published by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs (BMFSFJ), estimates that millions of Germans experience some form of loneliness. Among adults aged 50 and over, about 8 % report feeling lonely often or very often.
Loneliness spiked sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, and though social life has largely reopened, levels remain higher than before. In the very old (80+), a 2023 study found that one in five describe themselves as “severely lonely,” while another quarter experience moderate loneliness.
Regional differences are striking: people in rural areas or those living alone after bereavement tend to report higher rates, while urban dwellers often describe a paradoxical loneliness “in the crowd.”
Why older adults are especially at risk
Germany’s population is aging rapidly: by 2035, one in three citizens will be over 60. With longevity come vulnerabilities — the loss of a spouse or friends, reduced mobility, and health limitations.
For many seniors, retirement can mean a shrinking social world. Everyday contact — the chat at the bakery, the weekly choir, the neighbor who stops by — can quietly fade.
In care homes, staffing shortages have exacerbated isolation. A 2021 survey of nursing home residents found that over 40 % felt “cut off from life outside.” At the same time, family members providing care often experience their own form of loneliness, stretched between work, responsibility, and guilt. Loneliness, it seems, can echo across generations.