Wealth among Siblings in Germany

Philipp Lersch (), Daniel D. Schnitzlein (), Fabian Pfeffer and Markus Grabka
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Philipp Lersch: DIW Berlin, HU Berlin
Daniel D. Schnitzlein: Hochschule der Bundesagentur für Arbeit (HdBA)
Fabian Pfeffer: LMU Munich
Markus Grabka: DIW Berlin

No 19035, IZA Discussion Papers from IZA Network @ LISER

Abstract: This study examines sibling similarity in wealth in Germany and how it is shaped by family socioeconomic status, partnering, and partner wealth homogamy. We use multilevel models, variance decomposition, and a novel decomposition for partnered individuals drawing on high-quality, nationally representative survey data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study to estimate overall and gender-specific sibling correlations in wealth for all of Germany and for East and West Germany separately. Overall, sibling similarity in wealth is relatively high in Germany with an overall value of 0.33, though similarity in wealth is substantially higher in West Germany than in East Germany. Sister correlations in individual wealth are higher than brother correlations, although this gender difference shrinks once we consider household wealth. An important channel creating sibling similarity in household wealth runs through partners’ wealth. Socioeconomic status of the origin family accounts for a substantial portion of sibling similarity among women but less so among men.

Keywords: family; wealth; siblings; intergenerational transmission; social mobility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C30 D14 D31 J16 J62 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-10
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