The highest court in Germany has ruled that the government must increase the benefits paid to asylum-seekers by 50 percent.

The Constitutional Court determined that the current level benefits paid out -- €224 ($274) per month -- was inadequate and did not meet the standards of a humane subsistence level.

The Basic Law guarantees subsistence-level support for a life in decent conditions as a human right, the court said.

This basic right applies to German citizens and foreign citizens living in Germany in equal measure.

The ruling means that the estimated 130,000 asylum-seekers in Germany will be receiving €336 per month – although that figure remains below the €374 figure paid out to German citizens in need.

Court Germany Germany Immigration