Millions of pensioners in Germany are struggling to make ends meet due to fixed incomes, rising costs of housing, utilities, and healthcare, and inadequate retirement savings as the country undergoes a period of economic stagnation.

In Germany, the risk of poverty generally does not refer to extreme poverty as seen in some developing countries, but rather to relative poverty, which is measured in relation to the median income of the country’s total population.

According to the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) survey, a person is considered at risk of poverty if their income is less than 60% of the median income of the total population (the at-risk-of-poverty threshold).

According to the final results of EU-SILC 2025, this threshold for a person living alone in Germany was €17,340 net per year (€1,445 per month). According to these figures, 16.1% of Germany’s population was at risk of poverty. At 19.5%, the at-risk-of-poverty rate for people aged 65 and older was above this average. A similar picture emerges for people aged 75 and older, whose at-risk-of-poverty rate stood at 19.1%.

Older women at greater risk of poverty than men
In Germany, women in all age groups are at greater risk of poverty than men. According to the final results of EU-SILC 2025, the at-risk-of-poverty rate was 16.7% for women and 15.6% for men. The difference increases with age. In the 65+ age group, women had an at-risk-of-poverty rate of 21.3%, while the rate for men aged 65 and older was 17.3%. Among women aged 75 and older, 21.3% were at risk of poverty, while the rate for men in this age group was 15.8%. Older women are particularly at risk of poverty. They are more likely to have lower lifetime earnings, part-time work histories and career breaks for childcare or family care, reducing pension entitlements.

More than 60% of all female retirees in Germany received pensions below the poverty line last year. For men, the figure is significantly lower, at 27.8%, the government said in response to an inquiry by the opposition The Left Party. The Federal Statistical Office defines the poverty line as follows:

A person lives below the poverty line if their income is less than 60% of the median net income. This currently amounts to €1,446 ($1,670) per month. By contrast, the average monthly pension for men was only €1,415 ($1,634), and for women, just €1,039 ($1,200). Taking all retirees into account — including those who retired early — men received an average of €1,531 ($1,769). This is significantly higher than the average for women, which is just €1,025 ($1,184).

Growing number of elderly rely on basic income support
The number of people relying on basic income support in old age has also increased. The Federal Statistical Office reported that more than 738,800 people at or above retirement age received basic income support in old age, at the end of 2025. That was 3.4% higher than a year earlier and 42.5% more than in 2015.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, 19 million people in Germany were aged 65 or older in 2024, making up about 23% of the population. The number has risen sharply from 12 million in 1991, highlighting the demographic strain on Europe’s largest economy.

Sarah Vollath, a lawmaker from The Left party warned of mounting poverty among the elderly in Germany.

“Poverty in old age has long since ceased to be a marginal phenomenon. Pensions have been far too low for years,” the daily Frankfurter Rundschau quoted the social policy expert as saying.

Pointing to the federal government’s planned pension reform, she feared that the situation could worsen. “With this, the government is effectively condemning even more people to poverty in old age,” she added.

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