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Pensions

The common use of the term pension is to describe the payments a person receives upon retirement, usually under pre-determined legal or contractual terms. Germany's old age pension program goes back to 1889.

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All Content on this topic

A water inspector in Cuba

Cuba: Living on a $10 pension

Many retired Cubans have to make do with pensions that amount to less than $10 per month.
SocietyJuly 8, 201910 images
Strikers on the streets to protest pension reform in Brazil

Brazilians strike against Bolsonaro's pension plans

A nationwide strike has paralyzed transport in the South American country's major cities.
PoliticsJune 14, 2019
Winfried Langer 'Trekker Willi' with his tractor 'Robert'

Pensioner quits tour of Scotland after police 'harassment'

A retired German abandons his tractor adventure to Scotland after being accused of begging and being "too old" to drive.
LifestyleMay 28, 2019
Timothy Rooks

Think twice about outrageous CEO pay

Timothy Rooks
Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche's retirement package is modest by global standards. It also simply rewards mediocrity.
BusinessMay 22, 2019
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announces bailout relief measures during a press conference in Athens

Greece's Tsipras to cut taxes

The move comes as his left-wing Syriza party lags in the polls behind the main opposition party.
PoliticsMay 8, 2019
Silhouette of a man in a wheelchair

Asylum-seeker stands trial for grisly murder

An Afghan asylum-seeker is accused of slitting a sleeping retiree's throat while he slept.
CrimeApril 29, 2019
Frankreich Paris | Präsident Emmanuel Macron - Antwort auf Gelbwesten-Proteste

Macron responds to yellow vest protests with tax cuts

President Emmanuel Macron has vowed tax relief for France's middle class and to stick to his 2017 reform agenda
PoliticsApril 25, 2019
July 1975: photo-search display by former SS members at Karlburg, now Karlstadt, Bavaria

Halt to ex-Nazi pensions urged

Jewish representatives in Germany are demanding checks and an end to pensions still paid to elderly ex-Nazis.
PoliticsMarch 25, 2019
DW business columnist Kate Ferguson

Can Germany age gracefully?

Germany has an aging problem. DW's Kate Ferguson considers what needs to be done to fix it.
BusinessFebruary 25, 2019
Belgian Waffen SS

UK, Belgian retirees getting Nazi pensions

Four Belgian MPs want Germany to stop compensating people who collaborated with the SS during the Nazi occupation.
HistoryFebruary 20, 2019
Daimler head Dieter Zetsche

€4,250 per day retirement for Daimler boss

Dieter Zetsche will get more than €1 million per year and is eligible for even more retirement funds, Daimler confirmed.
BusinessJanuary 28, 2019
Berlin property protest

Entire stretch of Berlin street bought by investment fund

Residents of the German capital's gritty Neukölln district are concerned their homes will be turned into luxury flats.
SocietyDecember 8, 2018
Jens Spahn

Childless Germans should pay more tax: Minister

Health Minister Jens Spahn says it's only fair that those without children pay a higher amount into the pension scheme.
PoliticsNovember 9, 2018
A man reaches into a trash can to find bottles

What I learned scavenging for empty bottles

Bottle collectors have become a common sight in German cities. Who are they? And how much do they make?
BusinessOctober 17, 2018
Protesters against the pension reform hold placards branding Russian politicians including Russian President Vladimir Putin "enemies of the people"

Russia's protest spirit breaks as pension law passes

Russians aren't happy that parliament passed a bill raising the retirement age, but outrage has become resignation.
PoliticsSeptember 27, 2018
Protesters hold up signs for pension reform

Navalny's rearrest: A 'key moment' in pension protests?

The anti-Kremlin politician's speedy return to jail is just one sign that Vladimir Putin may be nervous.
Law and JusticeSeptember 24, 2018
Alexei Navalny

Alexei Navalny released and immediately detained

Alexei Navalny was detained once again while leaving jail after a 30-day stint.
PoliticsSeptember 24, 2018
Fokus Europa

Bulgaria: A place for Germans to retire?

More and more Germans are moving to Bulgaria after they retire, because the cost of living is low.
SocietySeptember 13, 201804:45 min
Russian police restrain a protester during a demonstration against proposed changes to the pension age in Moscow

Russia: 1,000 detained in anti-govt protests

Protests over changes to the pension age in Russia have overshadowed elections for local and regional seats.
PoliticsSeptember 10, 2018
Moskau Proteste gegen Rentenreform

Pension protest as Russia holds local elections

Regional elections in Russia have been marred by nationwide protests over the Kremlin's pension reform plans.
PoliticsSeptember 9, 2018
A voting booth at a polling station ahead of the Novosibirsk Region's gubernatorial election

Russia votes amid pension pushback

Without much real competition, Russians are headed to the ballot box. But experts say there could be some surprises.
PoliticsSeptember 8, 2018
external

Anger over Russian pension reform plans

The measure would significantly raise the retirement age in a country where life expectancy is already low.
BusinessSeptember 7, 201801:42 min
The offending device

German retiree hands live WWII grenade to cops

The woman's husband apparently brought the WWII weapon home with him in 1943 and kept it on a desk.
SocietySeptember 6, 2018
Proteste in Moskau gegen Anhebung des Rentenalters

Russians rally against pension reform

Thousands of Russians have protested across the country against government plans to raise the pension age.
PoliticsSeptember 2, 2018
Demonstrations against pension reform

Putin doubles down on unpopular pension reform

Vladimir Putin had previously sought to distance himself from pension reform that has caused outrage.
PoliticsAugust 29, 2018
German Chancellor Angela Merkel in an ARD interview

Merkel warns against erosion of democracy

The German chancellor defended democratic values in an interview following a contentious summer for her government.
PoliticsAugust 26, 2018
National Australia Bank

Australian pension funds fighting over definition of a fee

National Australia Bank will compensate thousands of pension fund customers who paid for advice they did not receive.
BusinessAugust 6, 2018
Protests in Russia against pension reform

Russians protest proposal to hike pension age

The Communist Party leader said the proposed changes mean that people will get their "pension in their coffins."
PoliticsJuly 29, 2018
Ruble banknote

Russians asked to pay up for the World Cup

Russians are paying for the World Cup with harsh cuts to social benefits, and a financial hangover is set to follow.
SportsJuly 11, 2018
Karikatur Das Rentenalter in Russland wird angehoben

Why is Putin pushing up the pension age?

The Russian government has announced a sweeping pension reform, pushing up the official retirement age.
BusinessJuly 4, 201803:02 min
Russians protesting a planned pension reform

Russians outraged by pension reform plan

DW's Miodrag Soric reports on why Russians are protesting a planned pension reform.
BusinessJuly 3, 2018
European Court of Justice

ECJ says UK discriminated against trans woman

The European Court of Justice has ruled that the UK discriminated against a transgender woman seeking a state pension.
Human RightsJune 26, 2018
Fiat factory

Novice PM could put Italian economy at risk

Ambitious spending plans by Italy's new coalition, and a political unknown as prime minister, have put investors on edge
BusinessMay 22, 2018
Nicaraguans protest pension reforms

Nicaragua establishes truth commission

The commission has "complete freedom" to investigate the deaths of 45 people during protests, many of them students.
Human RightsMay 7, 2018
Protests in Nicaragua against pension reform

Nicaragua revokes law that sparked violent protests

President Daniel Ortega has scrapped a pension reform law and vowed to crack down on "gangs" following deadly protests.
PoliticsApril 23, 2018
A protester surrounded by tires set ablaze

Nicaragua's pension reform protests turn deadly

The Nicaraguan president has accused the protesters of implementing a "criminal plan" to "destroy" the country's image.
PoliticsApril 22, 2018
Defendant hides his face during Berlin murder trial

Berlin "freezer" murderer sentenced to life

A man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing a pensioner back and storing the dismembered body in a freezer.
CrimeApril 18, 2018
Taiwan Protests

Taiwanese military veterans protest pension cuts

Hundreds have demonstrated against Taiwanese Premier Lai Ching-te's plan to cut pension payments to military retirees.
PoliticsFebruary 27, 2018
UK academics go on strike

British university lecturers go on strike over pensions

Lecturers at top British universities have called for strikes over the next month due to a pensions dispute.
PoliticsFebruary 22, 2018
An old person in Japan

Japan plans hike state pension age

The Japanese government approved an outline for raising the optional age for drawing public pensions to 71 or older.
SocietyFebruary 17, 2018
South African banknotes

South African pension fund scandal 'not a surprise'

South Africa's government pension fund has lost billions of rand by investing in conglomerate Steinhoff.
BusinessJanuary 31, 2018
Buenos Aires protest against pension reforms

Argentina: Scores injured in pension reform protests

Rallies outside Argentina's Congress have turned violent, with as many as 150 people reportedly injured.
PoliticsDecember 19, 2017
Andy Warhol with Brooke Shields & Calvin Klein

Pioneer to pensioner: Calvin Klein turns 75

His fashion brand was characterized by clear, simple lines, and Calvin Klein was second to none at marketing it.
CultureNovember 19, 2017
Symbolbild Armut - Flaschensammler

Some facts about poverty in Germany

Germany has a booming economy but most Germans are not very wealthy. Hans-Böckler-Stiftung suggests intervention.
BusinessNovember 14, 2017
Angela Merkel, CDU

Merkel is struggling to form her new coalition

The four political parties that intend to form a new German government disagree about more things than they agree on.
PoliticsOctober 30, 2017
Symbolbild EU-Erweiterung

Inside Europe 26.10.2017

Could regional autonomy threaten the stability of Europe? - Calls for more autonomy in Italy - The billionaire seeking to lead the Czech Republic – Is daylight saving living on borrowed time? - Can Poland’s economy support a lowered pension age? - Concern over press freedom in Hungary - Empty pews in the homeland of the Reformation - Revival of Porto’s Jewish community.
PoliticsOctober 27, 201755:00 min
Deutschland Rentner Symbolbild zum OECD-Bericht

Inside Europe: A new pension plan for Poles

PoliticsOctober 26, 201705:27 min
Berlin Herbstgutachten für 2017 and 2018

German growth rates lifted

Germany's leading economic think tanks have upgraded growth forecasts for 2017 and 2018.
BusinessSeptember 28, 2017
Two people carry a voting urn along a road in Switerzland

Swiss voters nix pension reform in national referendum

The retirement age for women would have also gone up, as the nation struggles to deal with an aging populace.
PoliticsSeptember 24, 2017
Deutschland Prozess - Bankkunden sollen hilflosem Mann nicht geholfen haben

Not-so-good Samaritans fined in man's death

The defendants allegedly ignored the man who had collapsed in a bank lobby, and left without calling an ambulance.
CrimeSeptember 18, 2017