An increasing number of pensioners are dependent on basic security - Thuringia’s retirees face a paradox: more work, more welfare dependence by 2025
More older adults in Thuringia are working past retirement age than ever before. Between 2020 and 2024, their numbers climbed from 28,600 to 33,000. At the same time, a growing share of pensioners now rely on Grundsicherung—state support for those unable to cover basic living costs—with figures rising steadily since 2021.
The shift began with policy changes in early 2023, when earnings limits for early retirees were scrapped. This reform coincided with a broader national trend: more people aged 65 to 74 now combine pensions with paid work. In Thuringia, the number of pensioners in full-time, socially insured jobs jumped from 2,022 in 2020 to 2,776 in 2024.
Alongside this, the number of pensioners dependent on Grundsicherung has grown sharply. By September 2025, around 9,100 Thuringian retirees received the benefit—a rise of 620 compared to the same month in 2024. Since 2021, the total has surged by roughly 3,500. The proportion of pensioners among all Grundsicherung recipients in the region has also increased. In September 2021, they made up just under 33 percent of cases. By September 2024, that share had reached 45 percent. Nationally, the figure stood at around 60 percent in September 2025. No single organisation has driven the rise in working retirees. Instead, experts point to demographic changes and policy adjustments as the main factors behind the trend.
The data shows two clear patterns in Thuringia: more pensioners are staying in work, and more are needing Grundsicherung to make ends meet. With 9,100 retirees receiving the benefit in September 2025, the state’s share of pensioners among all claimants now sits at 45 percent. These changes reflect wider shifts in employment rules and an ageing population.
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