June 2026
03Jun

Germany’s 2027 pension shake-up: who wins and who loses?

Germany’s life insurance sector is facing its most significant competitive disruption in a generation, according to financial analytics firm Kidbrooke. With landmark pension reform legislation now confirmed, incumbent insurers have a narrowing window to modernise their digital infrastructure or risk being outpaced by nimbler rivals on day one of the new market. The reform centres on the Altersvorsorgedepot, a new state-subsidised private pension savings account passed by the Bundestag in March 2026 and approved by the Bundesrat on 8 May 2026,...

June 3, 2026
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May 2026
25May

Germany. GOVT reportedly mulls change to retirement age

claims it saw a draft proposal by the government to increase the age of retirement by three years Chancellor Merz has proposed that Ukraine become an 'associate' member of the European Union Politicians have been reacting to a report from German tabloid Bild that the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz is planning to raise the age of retirement from 67 to 70 years old. According to the report, the age will be raised to 68 in the 2040s, 69 in the 2050s, before...

May 25, 2026
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04May

Hundreds of thousands of Germans take to the streets over threat of pension and benefit cuts

In Germany, 366,000 people took part in protests against social benefit cuts. Trade unions are opposing reductions in pensions and healthcare spending. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets for May Day demonstrations in Germany. Participants of the rallies warned the government that they are ready to fight against cuts to pensions, social benefits, and the healthcare system, UNN reports, citing DW. "Our work first, your profit second" — under this slogan, more than 400 events were held across Germany, according...

May 4, 2026
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April 2026
29Apr

Germany’s birth rate reached lowest level on record in 2025

Germany's birth rate fell to its lowest post-World War II level in 2025. According to preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), around 655,000 live births were recorded in 2025, compared to around 680,00 in 2024. Last year, the country recorded more than one million deaths. This brings the birth deficit to around 350,000, setting yet another record. Declining birth rates for the fourth year in Germany Last year marked the fourth consecutive year of decline in the birth rate and the lowest level since 1946. Germany's current replacement rate is at 1.35...

April 29, 2026
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20Apr

Germany. Lufthansa resumes flights

The German airline “Lufthansa“ (Lufthansa) announced that flights were resumed as scheduled today after a series of strikes during the week, BTA reported. “Everything resumed as planned“, a spokeswoman told DPA after thousands of flights were canceled. Around 650 flights were canceled at Frankfurt Airport, Germany's main aviation hub, on Friday alone, and more than 400 at Munich Airport. Together with the cabin crew union “Ufo“ (Ufo), the pilots' union “Vereinigung Cockpit“ (VC) suspended operations “Lufthansa“, “Lufthansa Cargo“ and “Cityline“ for five...

April 20, 2026
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17Apr

Opt-in or Opt-out? The Power of Defaults in Pension Enrollment Choices

By Tabea Bucher-Koenen, Luisa Wallossek & Joachim Winter Default settings strongly increase pension enrollment, especially when savings incentives are high and choices are complex. We show that the effect is weaker when incentives are low, options are simple, and opting out is easy. We study the nationwide introduction of auto-enrollment for lowincome employees in Germany's public pay-as-you-go pension system. We find that automatic enrollment raises participation by 23 percentage points, though most individuals actively opt out. Linking administrative and survey data...

April 17, 2026
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10Apr

Opt-in or Opt-out? The Power of Defaults in Pension Enrollment Choices

By Tabea Bucher-Koenen, Luisa Wallossek & Joachim K. Winter Default settings strongly increase pension enrollment, especially when savings incentives are high and choices are complex. We show that the effect is weaker when incentives are low, options are simple, and opting out is easy. We study the nationwide introduction of auto-enrollment for low-income employees in Germany's public pay-as-you-go pension system. We find that automatic enrollment raises participation by 23 percentage points, though most individuals actively opt out. Linking administrative and...

April 10, 2026
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March 2026
24Mar

Germany eyes boost in pension investment via global equities

The German government, policymakers and occupational industry stakeholders are seeking to channel more pension savings into global equity markets to support economic growth. Michael Schrodi, parliamentary state secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance, said the government aims to reach the widest possible audience to encourage greater capital market investment and build “future-proof” occupational and private pensions. The second-pillar reform lays the groundwork for broader adoption of defined contribution (DC) plans and higher-yield occupational pensions among low earners. Meanwhile, a public...

March 24, 2026
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09Mar

German pensions to rise by 4,24 percent in July

The German government has announced that statutory pension payments will increase by 4,24 percent from July 1, 2026. The increase, which will benefit around 21 million pensioners in Germany, is slightly higher than a prognosis increase issued in the autumn. According to the Federal Labour Ministry, this will increase the current pension value (aktueller Rentenwert) from 40,79 euros to 42,52 euros. Why is this figure significant? The German pension system is points-based. A year’s contributions at the average earnings of all contributors earns you one “pension point”...

March 9, 2026
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06Mar

The Impact of Pension System Reforms on Elderly Labor Force Participation: A Comparative Study of Germany, the United States, and Brazil

By Amos Kupaza Objective: This study provides the first harmonized, micro‑level comparative analysis of pension reform effects on elderly labor force participation in three paradigmatic welfare regimes: Germany (coordinated market economy, conservative‑corporatist welfare), the United States (liberal market economy, liberal welfare), and Brazil (dualistic economy, conservative‑informal welfare). We test the institutional mediation hypothesis: that reform effects are systematically shaped by labor market structures, social protection arrangements, and production regimes. Methods: We employ harmonized microdata from IPUMS-CPS (USA) and IPUMS-International (Germany, Brazil) , comprising 495,000 person‑year observations spanning 2000–2023....

March 6, 2026
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