German civil‑service pensions average three times statutory retirement pay

A new report from the Bundestag’s Scientific Services, prepared at the request of Left‑party pension expert Sarah Vollath, details the gap between Germany’s statutory retirement pensions and the pensions paid to former civil servants.

At the end of 2024 the average monthly pension for the roughly 20 million statutory retirees was €1,154 (gross, before health‑ and nursing‑care contributions). By early 2025 the 1.4 million public‑service pensioners received an average of €3,416 per month – almost three times higher.

Distribution data show that about 60 % of former civil servants earn at least €3,000 a month, 8 % over €5,000 and only 7 % below €2,000. In contrast, 37 % of statutory retirees receive less than €900, 17 % between €900‑1,200 and 16 % between €1,200‑1,500.

Independent parliamentary experts point out that the two systems are structurally different – a tax‑financed, full‑benefit scheme for civil servants versus a contribution‑based solidarity system for most workers – and therefore “hard to compare”, citing the Bundessozialgericht. Vollath labelled the disparity a “privilege”, noting that a typical employee would need about 80 years of average earnings to match a civil‑service pension. The coalition’s pension commission has drafted a reform blueprint but opposes immediate inclusion of civil servants in the earnings‑based model.