People are retiring later and later in Germany. Recent figures from the German Pension Insurance Association (Deutsche Rentenversicherung) have revealed how the trend is continuing to grow.

Average retirement age is increasing in Germany

On average, people in Germany are retiring later, the Deutsche Rentenverischerung has revealed. Back in 2001, men in Germany were claiming their pension at an average age of 62,4 years - in 2021 the average age had increased to 64,1 and again in 2022, to 64,4 years.

For working women, the average age of retirement in Germany in 2001 was 62,5. Since then, it has crept up to 64,2 in 2021 and last year, to 64,4 years old.

The retirement age in Germany is currently 66 years and applies to people born in 1958, but it is also possible to retire early, as long as you have made contributions for at least 35 years. Like many other countries, Germany has been gradually pushing back the statutory retirement age in an attempt to improve the pension system’s long-term sustainability. The plan is for the retirement age to reach 67 by 2031. 

Workers in Germany are retiring later and living longer

Once workers in Germany do claim their pension, they are also claiming it for a longer period than before. The Deutsche Rentenversicherung sees increased life expectancy as the main reason for this shift.

“While rising life expectancy is a positive thing, it poses a challenge for retirement security,” the Association explained. This is because, in Germany, people of working age pay the pension funds of those in retirement, rather than retirees using their saved money. This means that an equilibrium must be maintained between the number of working-age people and retired people.

The average age in Germany has risen by five years since 1990 to 44,6 years. And in eight regions - all in former East Germany - it is now even 50 years or more. Since the ageing population is growing, Germany desperately needs more working-age people to keep the balance. Along with filling many vacant jobs across the country, the coalition government hopes that its new Chancenkarte immigration policy will encourage more qualified workers to come to Germany and re-balance the age demographic of the population.

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