economy comparison
Pensions in the federal states vary greatly
Status: 10.07.2023 | Reading time: 2 minutes
Pension increases in the West by 4.39 percent, in the East by 5.86 percent
Inflation is also affecting many pensioners. As of July 1, pensions will increase by 4.39 percent in western Germany and by 5.86 percent in the new federal states.
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The East German federal states bring up the rear when it comes to pension levels. This shows a comparison of the German pension insurance. Only 1427 euros gross are paid on average in Thuringia. The highest pensions were registered in Saarland at the end of 2022.
There are clear differences in gross old-age pensions between the federal states. The average amount for insured persons with at least 35 years of insurance is currently 1550 euros nationwide, as announced by the German Pension Insurance Association. This means an increase of 5.7 percent compared to the previous year.
At the end of 2022, the highest pensions for men were in North Rhine-Westphalia with an average of around 1845 euros and in Saarland with around 1840 euros. The East German federal states bring up the rear in terms of pension levels for men and women overall.
According to the information, many men in North Rhine-Westphalia now receive a comparatively high pension because they used to work in well-paid jobs in mining. Compared to the other eastern federal states, the pensions of pensioners in East Berlin are relatively high at around 1699 euros, which is due to the high proportion of pensioners with entitlements from former supplementary and special pension systems in the GDR. Women also received the highest pensions on average in the eastern part of Berlin, at 1,501 euros.
Highest pensions for men and women on average in Saarland
Overall, it is noticeable that the difference between the average pensions for men and women in eastern Germany is smaller than in the west. The most important reason for this is that women in the East were less likely to work part-time; as a result, the income differences between men and women are smaller there than in the West.
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Interactive map of Germany
The new pension atlas of the Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund shows that the average gross old-age pension for men and women together is highest in Saarland at EUR 1,677, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia at EUR 1,644. In Hesse and Hamburg it is 1609 euros, in Baden-Württemberg 1607 euros. East Berlin (1598 euros), Rhineland-Palatinate (1577 euros), Schleswig-Holstein (1562 euros), Lower Saxony (1551 euros), Bavaria (1545 euros) and Berlin-West (1500 euros) follow.
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In the eastern federal states of Brandenburg (1486 euros), Saxony (1445 euros), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (1443 euros), Saxony-Anhalt (1434 euros) and Thuringia (1427 euros), the average gross old-age pension is therefore the lowest.
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Deductions for health and long-term care insurance are made from the gross pension. A certain percentage of the pension is also recognized as taxable income. Whether there is an assessment by the tax office depends largely on the total income.
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