The number of people over 65 still working in Germany has increased by around 46% over the past five years to around 1.9 million, official figures showed on Thursday.
The trend has been growing for years, driven in part by a gradual increase in the statutory retirement age from 65 to 67, with the threshold reaching at least 66 years and two months in 2025.
Early retirement usually comes with reduced benefits, encouraging more older people to remain in the workforce.
Official figures show that 1.28 million people over 65 were registered as employed in 2020, rising steadily to 1.88 million in 2025.
Of these, 653,000 were aged 70 or older, up from 469,000 in 2020, while around 229,000 were over 75, compared to 175,000 five years ago.
Experts cite multiple factors behind the growth, including labor shortages, personal motivation, and financial need.
The data from the Federal Statistical Office was requested by the small party Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).
Founder Sahra Wagenknecht said many seniors were not working by choice but out of financial necessity, adding that the increase suggests hundreds of thousands of retirees are forced to make do with relatively low incomes.
She said Germany could look to Austria's pension system as a model, where payments are higher on average, although contribution rates are also higher.
Despite the growth, older workers still represent a relatively small proportion.
Around 18.4 million people in Germany were over 65 in 2025, while the total workforce was around 42.5 million. /Telegrafi/
