Overview

• Official data show that more than one quarter of people with at least 45 contribution years receive under €1,300 a month, with an average payout of €1,668 for over 5.5 million long-term contributors.
• Marked disparities persist: West €1,729 versus East €1,527 on average, Hamburg highest at €1,787, Thuringia lowest at €1,491, and a gender gap of men €1,778 versus women €1,449.
• Germany’s leading economic institutes propose slower pension increases and a revived sustainability factor to ease contribution burdens, while the SoVD warns such steps would heighten poverty and urges revenue-side fixes.
• The federal cabinet has adopted a regulation freezing 2026 Sozialhilfe standard rates pending Bundesrat approval, with unchanged school-need allowances and a shift away from benefit checks to bank transfers from January.
• Access and comparisons shape the debate: a March LSG Berlin‑Brandenburg ruling makes gross pension amounts decisive for family health insurance, Wohngeld‑Plus grants a €1,800 annual disability deduction and heating/climate boosts, the Netherlands tops pension rankings with a basic pension model, and Austria is reported to plan excluding pensions over €2,500 from automatic adjustments in 2026.