Worldwide, there are millions of children and youth living on the streets. While this is accepted as a sad reality when it comes to developing countries, many people are unaware that street youth also exist in Western countries, such as Germany. In both developing and developed countries young people on the streets face a plethora of challenges that make it difficult for them to access quality schooling. However, one of the demands of the SDG "Quality Education" is that children and youth in precarious living situations should be guaranteed access to all levels of education. In order to fulfill this goal different projects, for example street schools, are founded. Nowadays these projects often include physics education in their curriculum. This study has two goals. First, the life of street-connected children in developing countries and street youth in Germany is compared through an extensive literature review. Differences and similarities between these two groups and their reasons for leaving home are elaborated. Secondly, the question is answered to what extent physics education is necessary for street-connected children and street youth and consequently should be part of educational projects for them.