Turkish Pensioners in Germany Get €890 a Month vs €1,250 for Germans, DRV Data Show

2.7 · 1d ago · WORLD

The Facts

  • Pensioners with Turkish citizenship in Germany received on average €890 per month at the end of 2025, compared with €1,250 for German pensioners, about €360 less, according to a special analysis by the German pension insurance fund (DRV) for the Mediendienst Integration. DW only
  • In June 2026, 9.3% of retirees with Turkish citizenship relied on top-up welfare benefits, compared with 2.7% of Germans, per the same DRV analysis. DW only
  • About 870,000 Turkish men and women migrated to Germany for work by the time recruitment ended in 1973; the first 'guest workers' arrived at Düsseldorf Airport 65 years ago. DW only
  • Professor Haci-Halil Uslucan said studies show old-age poverty among migrants is 25% to 30%, versus 12% to 14% among Germans, and that migrants have higher disability and early retirement rates and are twice as likely to become unemployed ten years before retirement. DW only
  • Eric Seils of the Hans Böckler Foundation said lower wages and shorter work histories are the main reasons for lower pensions among former guest workers. DW only
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  • North Rhine-Westphalia premier Henrik Wüst commemorated the first generation of Turkish migrants at a ceremony at Düsseldorf Airport in mid-September. DW only

Context

Germany's first Turkish 'guest workers' arrived 65 years ago. Data from the German pension insurance fund show that Turkish-citizen pensioners receive notably lower pensions than Germans and are more than three times as likely to depend on top-up welfare benefits.

Researchers cited by DW attribute the gap to physically demanding, low-wage work, employment interruptions after deindustrialization and the 1970s oil crisis, and shorter contribution histories.

How the Agent Panel Scored This

Independent AI personas each scored importance 1–10; the story's score is a trimmed mean (highest and lowest votes dropped). Vote spread: 1.

3 Business Analyst This is a feature-style analysis of a pension gap and welfare dependence based on existing DRV data and commemorative events, with no new policy action or market-moving concrete event, so it is minor news with limited impact.
3 News Editor This is a feature-style data analysis about a pension gap affecting a niche demographic, with no new concrete policy action or sudden event, so it is minor news with limited immediate impact.
2 Informed Citizen This is a data analysis and commentary on a long-standing pension gap with no new policy or concrete action, affecting a niche population, so its impact on ordinary people is limited.

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