The black-red federal government is still debating the pension issue. But what is the current situation actually like? The pension insurance company has published its pension atlas. The differences between federal states are enormous.
The pension dispute split the coalition. But where exactly are pension funds today? German pension insurance has published its latest pension atlas.
Therefore, residents of Saarland received the highest pensions in Germany at the end of last year, with an average of 1,805 euros. North Rhine-Westphalia is close behind with 1,773 euros. East Berlin is in third place with an average of 1,756 euros (Berlin overall: 1,694 euros). Thuringia is last on the list currently at 1,572 euros. The national average is 1,692 euros.
However, pension insurance documents clear differences between men and women. Men from Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland receive the highest pensions. After 35 years of contributions, they received an average gross pension of 2013, 2005 and 2002 euros at the end of last year.
Among men, retirees in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (1,679 euros), Thuringia (1,696 euros) and Saxony-Anhalt (1,703 euros) had the lowest pension income nationally after 35 years of contributions.
The lowest average gross pensions were received by women from Lower Saxony (1,394 euros), Bavaria (1,410 euros) and Rhineland-Pfalz (1,413 euros). In contrast, the highest pension payments for women went to East Berlin (1,682 euros), Brandenburg (1,543 euros), Hamburg (1,534 euros) and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (1,516 euros).
Average pension at a glance:
The national average is 1,692 euros.
- Saarland: 1805 euros
- North Rhine-Westphalia: 1773 euros
- East Berlin: 1756 euros
- Baden-Württemberg: 1,755 euros
- Hesse: 1,752 euros
- Hamburg: 1,743 euros
- Rhineland-Pfalz: 1716
- Schleswig-Holstein: 1693 euros
- Bavaria: 1691 euros
- Lower Saxony: 1685 euros
- Bremen: 1666 euros
- Brandenburg: 1640 euros
- West Berlin: 1631 euros
- Saxony: 1594 euros
- Mecklenburg-West Pomerania: 1591 euros
- Saxony-Anhalt: 1580 euros
- Thuringia: 1572 euros
Retire later
Pension insurers attribute the smaller gap between men and women in eastern Germany to the fact that women there are less likely to work part-time than in the west and that the income gap between the sexes is smaller in the east. Baden-Württemberg is an economically strong industrial federal state, and North Rhine-Westphalia has many high-paying jobs in mining, which explains the high pensions in these states.
According to the Pension Atlas, the retirement age increased from 64.4 years in 2023 to 64.7 years last year. There is no difference between the genders here. Last year, women received an average pension of 22.1 years (plus 0.0 year), men for 18.9 years (plus 0.1 year).
Last year, the maximum pension value for men was 1,923 euros. According to the 2024 Pension Atlas, men in North Rhine-Westphalia receive this after 35 years of contribution.
ePD/RCT
