Overview

• In 2024 the average share of qualified pedagogical staff per Kita was about 72% nationwide, with eastern states at roughly 87% and western states near 69% (data as of March 1, 2024).
• Thuringia leads with 94.3% qualified staff per Kita team, followed by Saxony (92.4%) and Brandenburg (90.9%), while Bavaria ranks last at 54.5%.
• The proportion of Kitas meeting a high threshold fell between 2023 and 2024 in ten states—most in Bremen, Saarland and Mecklenburg‑Western Pomerania—while five states gained, with Saxony posting the largest increase.
• Local disparities are stark: in Hesse, Hersfeld‑Rotenburg has 66.2% of Kitas with high shares versus 9.1% in Offenbach; in North Rhine‑Westphalia, Höxter reaches 62.0% versus 9.0% in Mönchengladbach; county extremes range from Sömmerda (Thuringia) at 94% to Landkreis Augsburg (Bavaria) at 2.3%.
• More hires from non‑pedagogical professions under staff shortages and cost pressure are driving the decline; a “high Fachkraftquote” is defined as at least 82.5% of pedagogically active staff holding a relevant vocational or university qualification.