When East and West Germany reunited 25 years ago this weekend, the country was drunk on euphoria and a sense of heightened optimism. While reigning chancellor Helmut Kohl promised “flourishing landscapes”, his predecessor Willy Brandt produced the now legendary sentence: “What belongs together, will grow together”. But how united is Germany a generation on?

The Berlin Institute for Population and Development concluded in a recent study that half of all Germans believe there are more differences between “Ossis” (easterners) and “Wessis” (westerners) than commonalities.

The report, titled How reunification is going – how far a once-divided Germany has grown together again, found there is now little to distinguish life in the east and west in many regards, but there are still huge differences.

East German border guards look through a hole in the Berlin Wall in November 1989. Photograph: Lionel Cironneau/AP

The fact that it was possible to bring the two systems together “is a miracle for which it is hard to find a historical equivalent,” said the institute’s director, Reiner Klingholz.

“There is no example of merging two states with such vastly different political systems that has worked so smoothly. But this reunification was, and continues to be, far more difficult to achieve than was thought during the exuberance of the reunification celebrations.



“Even if the two parts were only separated for 41 years – that’s less than two generations – the citizens of east and west were socialised in such a different way that in retrospect the idea that integration would be swift was utopian.”



Klingholz estimates that it will take at least another generation before the two parts have truly grown back together. One major piece of evidence for that, he says, is that “many Wessis have never even been to the east,” while most Ossis have been to the west.

Here is how they compare on key indicators:



Wealth

States in the former west continue to be considerably richer than those in the former east, where ordinary households own far less than half of the wealth accumulated by those in the west.

Of the 500 richest Germans, only 21 are in the east and, of those, 14 are in Berlin. Of the 20 most prosperous cities, only one – Jena – is in the east.

There are many reasons for the differences, including the fact that wages in the east continue to be lower – at €2,800 (£2,075) a month, people earn about two-thirds of the average wage in the west – and that property in the east is only worth half as much in the west.

Another factor is that while Kohl declared wages and pensions should be translated one to one into West Marks in 1990, savings were only translated at a rate of two East Marks to one West Mark. On top of that, as owning property was generally taboo in East Germany, families have less to pass on to their children.

The net wealth of the average westerner is about €153,200 per person. In eastern households it is not even half that. Indeed, east Germans with net assets of at least €110,000 are considered to belong to the richest 10% of adults; in the west, €240,000 is the minimum.

As cars are the most conspicuous indication of a German’s wealth, it is worth noting that a west German is twice as likely to drive a BMW, with an East German twice as likely to drive a Skoda.

Poverty and health

The risk of an east German slipping into poverty is about 25% higher than that of a west German. However, life expectancy has risen considerably in the east since reunification, with women now on a par with their western counterparts. For men, it is slightly lower in the former east.



In terms of health, the concerns are similar, with obesity having increased in the east from between 12%-16% in 1999 to an average of 18% in 2013, and in the west from less than 10%-12% in 1999 to between 14% and 18% in 2013.

Productivity

A power station in Vattenfall in Jänschwalde, east Germany. Much of East Germany’s industry was dismantled after reunification Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Productivity in the former east was 70% of that in the west in 1991 and rose to just 73% in 2012, in part a legacy of the number of factories that were bought by west German industrialists and deliberately run into the ground to scotch competition as well as the inefficiency of many companies in the east.

None of the 30 largest companies listed on the German stock market are based in the east. Experts say the fact that most of the large industry and production bases are in the west and that those in the east are far smaller – with most employers in agriculture or service industries like meat-processing and call centres – will have a long-term effect of increasingly holding back the economy in the east and ensuring that the wage discrepancy remains and likely worsens.

Women

In east Germany, more women work (75%) than in the west, (70%), a legacy of a socialist system in which women were encouraged to work and which boasted full employment. In reality, it meant women were pressurised to run a household as well as work full time, a fact that was rarely acknowledged.

Helmut Kohl, chancellor at the time of reunification. Photograph: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

As a result, childcare facilities in the east are far superior to those in the west, where every fourth child under three is in a nursery; in the east, it is more than half.



In 1994, polls showed that almost 70% of west German women said children under school age suffered when their mothers worked. Their attitude is now more in line with that of east German women (for whom working and bringing up children has long been the norm), with only 30% of Wessi women now holding that opinion.



East German mothers return to work after childbirth much earlier than their west German counterparts and are more inclined to work full-time. Even part-time working mothers in the east work on average six hours longer than those in the west.

Partnerships

While long-term relationships between Ossis and Wessis were once highly unusual, they now account for about 10% of all partnerships, as likely as a relationship between a German and an immigrant, experts say. Most common is a partnership made up of women from the east and men from the west. Experts have suggested that this is because women prioritise status and wealth when looking for a partner. East-west partnerships are often referred to as “Wossis”.

Voluntary sector

While 37% of west Germans are involved in some sort of voluntary activity – from the fire brigade to church charities – only 30% of east Germans are. Analysts say this is a legacy of the East German state obliging its citizens to carry out supposedly voluntary activities, thereby giving it a negative connotation, and that civil society is still less developed in the former east.

Consumption

Consumer goods were one of the most immediate attractions for east Germans when the Berlin Wall fell, with Levi jeans, Milka chocolate bars and video recorders initially being the most popular goods.

There are few products from the East German era that have made it on to the supermarket shelves of the united Germany. However, Rotkäppchen Sekt, or Red-Riding Hood sparkling wine, Spee washing powder, Radeberger Pilsner and Bautz’ner mustard are among the exceptions and are steadily winning a growing market share among west Germans, with sales increasing in that sector from 34% to 42% between 2007 and 2014.

Milka chocolate. Photograph: Finnbarr Webster/Alamy

Preference for particular regional products – from beer to chocolate spreads, cola brands, yoghurts and newspapers – are still often reliable indicators of someone’s origins. Otherwise, consumer habits between east and west Germans are generally similar, even though easterners spend 79% less on consumer goods.



East Germans eat more preserved foods, while west Germans eat more fish and are more likely to fry their food.

Ossis and Wessis spend similar amounts on telecommunications, telephones and television sets. West Germans are likely to spend considerably more on jewellery and watches and are more likely to own a dishwasher, while east Germans tend to spend more on their gardens.

Migration

There are more migrants in west Germany. In the east, migrants make up 4%-9% of the population, while in many parts of the west the figure is about 25%. Despite the large discrepancy, experts say the aversion to migrants in the east is particularly pronounced – largely due to the lack of experience of living with foreigners.

Education

Here the east clearly has the advantage. Comparisons between the 16 German states show that – apart from the southern state of Bavaria – east German states are at the top of the scale.



They perform best in maths, natural sciences, biology, chemistry and physics. Some experts say this is a legacy of the robust education system of the GDR; others believe it is due to having fewer immigrants in east German schools as well as the amount of money that has been invested in the system since 1990.

