Germany’s Unsustainable Retiree Burden on its Shrinking Workforce


 
Decades of low fertility are causing the German working-age population to fall. Simultaneously, retirees are living longer and forming an ever-larger part of the population. These factors are causing an extraordinary decline in the number of working-age people available to support the expanding number of retirees.

Number of Working-Age People to each Dependent (65+) in Germany
The working-age population represents those aged 15 to 64. Period: 1950-2050.
Germany’s Unsustainable Retiree Burden on its Shrinking Workforce




In 1950, each German retiree was supported by over 7 people of working age. By 2050, there will be less than 2. Furthermore, the fast-expanding 65+, mostly-retired cohort cost Governments of rich countries more than the equivalent number of workers, due to unfunded pension, medical and old-age-care costs (3 time seems a minimum). Adding to this already nightmarish equation is the fact that only about 80% of the working-age population has a job due to unemployment, illness, etc. Therefore, these figures overstate the number of workers available to support retirees today. Consequently, an unprecedented and unsustainable tax burden is emerging in Germany.

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