Germany: Over a third of workers face poverty pensions, Left Party warns

Millions of employees in Germany are at risk of receiving a pension at or below the poverty line, based on their current earnings. Nationwide, this affects over a third of full-time workers after 45 years of contributions, with the figure soaring to more than half in eastern Germany.

These figures emerge from data on current monthly earnings and the poverty threshold, which Left Party politician Dietmar Bartsch obtained from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Federal Statistical Office. The data indicates that a gross monthly salary of 3,771 euros is necessary to secure a pension at the poverty threshold, which was set at 1,446 euros gross in 2025 by the Federal Statistical Office. Statistically, individuals are considered at risk of poverty if their income is less than 60 percent of the median income of the total population.

Bartsch had inquired about the current full-time earnings required to achieve such a pension level after 45 contribution years. The Federal Statistical Office's earnings survey from April 2025 revealed that nearly 39 percent of full-time employment positions nationwide earned less than 3,700 euros gross per month, and 44 percent earned less than 3,900 euros. In eastern Germany, 54 percent earned below 3,700 euros and nearly 60 percent below 3,900 euros.

“

Millions of employees in Germany are at risk of receiving a pension at or below the poverty line, based on their current earnings.

However, the calculations cited by Bartsch assume a constant wage ratio over 45 years and do not account for potential future changes. The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs noted in its response that these are "abstract model calculations." The ministry stressed that a person's income situation in old age cannot be inferred solely from their earnings in a single year.

Despite these caveats, Bartsch criticized the "imbalance in wages and pensions" as "unacceptably large." He condemned the coalition government's plans to abolish penalty-free retirement after 45 insurance years as part of a broader pension reform, calling it a "harsh attack on all employees." Bartsch accused Chancellor Friedrich Merz of giving the impression that employees are the problem.

“

a harsh attack on all employees