Old-age poverty in Germany | DW Documentary

[Music] one in five people in Germany is at risk of poverty pensioners are especially affected old age poverty is still a taboo subject in Germany it’s tolerated as long as no one talks about it the tiny pension is not enough to live on please open your eyes I can’t bear it anymore I’m not the only one millions of pensioners feel the same way [Music] BR in Munich Inga who doesn’t want to give her full name is on her way to a free lunch organized by the Association lck meaning Ray of Hope the 67-year-old only receives a small pension and lives below Germany’s poverty line he m I am very careful what I buy when I’m food shopping and I generally eat very little you forget how to eat when you no longer have the money you don’t dream about things like oh I’ll have Goose today for example that’s just gone from your mind as an option it’s deleted one in five German pensioners are in a similar position they add risk of poverty in old age in Germany it is referred to as relative poverty in other words they have less than 60% of the average German income enjoy your food Ina doesn’t meet many new people she’d be happy today to make a new friend but she is still a little skeptical I eat organic and no meat never and what’s that oh potatoes beans potato salad and fried potatoes filling too isn’t it there was plenty food and it was good but unfortunately I can’t eat that much I would have eaten more but I just can’t but I did get to no Maria and was able to talk to her a bit and gosh it’s a huge place I think I’d like to stay here for a week and just read [Music] Ina never thought she would need help from a charitable organization set up for poor pensioners she worked as a nursery school teacher all her life but a road accident changed everything she got seriously injured through no fault of her own afterwards she was unable to work and eventually fell into poverty I didn’t fall into it because I didn’t work hard enough I fell into it because of a situation that wasn’t my fault and that’s what changed my entire life working surviving fighting I don’t know anything else what her 800 pension is just enough to cover her rent and regular bills to buy food she works as a private child career for families she barely makes ends meet why are you still living this damn life and then I tell myself the children need you the children need you that’s what keeps me going otherwise I think my life would already be over I want to say this quite openly to the camera there’s no more pleasure in life if you can’t take part in it Olie also has to make doe with very little after deducting fixed costs the pensioner is left with around €300 a month to take his mind off his financial worries the 7 2-year-old likes to cycle through [Music] nature I meditate a lot in the more because I have peace and quiet here when I meditate I mentally put my financial worries into little Bubbles and the wind then carries these little bubbles away with it Olie lives in a small one bedroom flat named Munich his bed is in the living room that’s all he can afford but things used to be quite different Olie was a pioneer of digital video transmission and had his own company in the good times I brought home up to 10,000 German marks a month I lived in houses that had 180 Square met of living space it was a comfortable life but soon companies abroad started producing the parts cheaper and smaller the globalized market made him go bankrupt he lost everything I have one little necklace left here this Golden One everything else got confiscated and sure it’s Justified it was my mistake I didn’t put much to decide I just thought we’re going to enjoy our lives now if you’re are self-employed in Germany you don’t have to pay into the public pension fund retirement schemes are voluntary and private that’s why many people end up like Olie they pay too little or nothing at all into the pension fund and end up in old age poverty Olie has developed a method to make ends meet with the little he’s got an envelope for every week the money inside will have to do because I organize myself so systematically I know where my limits are now for example there’s only €20 left because I had to buy cleaning products this [Applause] [Music] week in giza’s case neither self employment nor an accident were the reason for her money problems today she lives in poverty because she cared for her father for 11 years he was always there for his family he did everything you don’t forget that that’s why I considered it a given to be there for my parents too I never gave it a second thought it’s not just gizela who suffers the consequences of her own selflessness in old age in Germany one in five people who care for a relative is at risk of falling into poverty for female carers it’s even one in four use their time for caring reduce their working hours earn less and therefore receive a smaller pension the small pension you get is not enough to live on later in life which ultimately leads to Old AG poverty for carers but caring for a relative saves the health insurance the state and everyone involved a lot of money it’s just so wrong to then not compensate these people enough financially today the 75-year-old lives in a council flat in Bon in West Germany together with her two cats her most loyal companions she has €600 to live on after rent and bills that’s the minimum you need to live on here at the end of the month there is nothing left at least I have my cats they’re like a therapist first I use my money to take care of them that’s more important I don’t need to have much love when Giza goes grocery shopping her money problems become apparent she doesn’t go to the supermarket much because there groceries are often sold in big quantities which she can’t afford at the farm shop though she can buy smaller amounts that’s it for you y I bought some apples a small cucumber which is enough for me for two days and the carrots you can make salad and soup out of that Giza expresses her frustration about the growing poverty in Germany in poems people especially women who are much engaged can build on poverty in old age I think you have to draw attention to it again and again not with Force but with this you have to call a spade a spade hoping that it will bring change un at ol’s favorite coffee place this change has already come about at Cafe Elemental there are no fixed prices for cakes and cappuccinos you donate what you can give for iie it’s a place where he really feels at home here he met Rina and Laura and found something that money can buy you can come in here and be a guest not as a beggar yeah a human being yeah as a valued human being exactly whether you’re sad whether you’re happy or angry it’s not your wallet that counts here but Mutual support this has built me up so much I could cry right now is it okay is it okay it’s it was so beautiful and that’s fine what we have here is not felt here but here as you said earlier Rina the food you eat disappears the clothes go but your experiences your feelings they stay forever what the cafe is to iie the Bible is for Inga she reads it every day it helps her to overcome the fear of what might happen Happ should she one day not be able to get up and work anymore but sometimes she loses her courage I don’t want to go on anymore and I want to tell everyone out there as Germans we don’t have it good either please open your eyes the reason I’m speaking so openly is because I can’t do it anymore and I’m not the only one millions of pensioners feel the same way ingga finds new strength in nature Because deep inside she’s a fighter with a clear message go out and fight raise your voice to say we can’t go on like this encourage everyone to help their parents don’t let them down and don’t leave them alone stand up for this Injustice II also hopes for change he’s learned to make do with little but instead he would prefer politicians to distribute Germany’s wealth more fairly what I hope for from politics is Justice even handed Justice I want to hear people you’ve worked hard you’ve created the foundations for us now you can rest I don’t see that on the contrary the gap between rich and poor is actually getting wider and wider [Music]

Gisela, Inga and Ulrich are pensioners – and poor. They’re constantly short on cash, even though they worked as hard as they could.

One out of five pensioners in Germany is considered to be at risk of poverty. Among women, the figure is even higher. The reasons vary widely. Gisela had decided to take care of her elderly father – meaning she couldn’t make enough payments into the pension fund. She’s feeling the consequences now, as she has to count every penny. Inga is in a similar situation. She had an accident that stopped her from working full time. Now she’s trying to save money wherever possible – especially on groceries. Ulrich was self-employed and earned well. But then his business went bust, and his savings are long gone. Three different life stories, one problem: With retirement came poverty. A film by Tessa Clara Walther and Melina Grundmann.

00:00 Intro
00:54 Out and about with Inga in Munich
02:36 How Inga slipped into poverty
04:27 Ulli used to earn a lot
06:18 Gisela cared for her father
10:26 Hope

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48 comments

  2. Same situation in Japan. The rate of olders(over 65 year old) among our nation has been going up rapidly. Our pension has been decreased as years go by.

  4. To be honest….I’ve not much sympathy for them as a German myself. They lived in the golden ages but either were too lazy to save privately or simply spent it all. I’m 31 and well aware that I can’t rely on the state pension and that’s exactly why I’m saving roughy 1500€ a month for this exact purpose.
    I’ve never been abroad, my car is almost 20 years old but I’ll have enough cash to live a comfortable live once I desire it. The entire system is broken, too few kids and too many depending on it. It is unsustainable but most people simply refuse to realize it and politicians try to push its collapse as far into the future as possible by raising our taxes into the sky.

  5. How about we do zero point energy?

    Oh I forgot, our energy technology has not moved forward since the '50s.

    That makes sense.

  7. In the US just put the Republicans in control and they'll cancel all the social security and health benefits.

  8. When all the boomers retire in Germany, the nation will start to deindustrialize. Should consider alternatives to the govt helping out.

  10. In today's world in any country you can not live on your pension alone !( I do live in Canada) . If you do not have savings you are suffering .
    A lot of people can't afford the basics : food ,medication , dwelling – they are force to make cuts . Since I was young I did prepare myself . It was not easy ,at one point I did lose my business , did get divorce ,always looking for employment ,etcetera .
    Because I did prepare for my retirement today I live in Dignity

  12. Germany " under MERKLE AND her CREW gauged the SOUTH EUROPEAN COUNTRIES "
    with their " AUSTERITY " rules and measures, loaning them
    at 6% + ,whilst they borrowed at 1%.. many lost homes, businesses , even their lives. Calling us " PIGS" ..WHERE DID ALL THAT MONEY GO???
    They say " what goes around comes around "
    I feel "NO SYMPATHY " for them

  15. It's encouraging someone is putting a spotlight on this issue. Gisela's plight in particular is all-encompassing. She alone took care of her old man. We have to do better. Taking care of our elders must be a team effort not a solo endeavor. Our humanity is on the line. Either "we hang together or we will hang alone", applies. I can't even imagine the grief Gen Zers will suffer when they get to old age, if this indifference doesn't change.

  17. Old age poverty?!?!?!?!, even people in their 20s and 30s are living in severe poverty, and those left, socialist, liberal, green, rainbow coalition did nothing NOTHING about it. The EU turned a blind eye, totally ignored the severe situation. They rather produce instruments of killing and destruction and financing the war with hundreds of billions of euros, than feeding their own citizens. Insane greed crisis rampaging. Unbearable rental costs, Skyrocketing housing prices hand in hand with free falling wages. People cannot afford to live! And the very parties they call themselves socialists just doesn't care.

  19. Video barely posted and bots with 40 likes already filling this comment section with comments about “immigrants”, “don’t aid Ukraine”(let the elderly in “Germany”, “US” eat deprecated equipment, I guess or whatever Kremlin gives them, once they can realize their imperialistic desires).

  22. Wondering if there is no job available for her anywhere. For example, nanny/childcare services for young families.

  23. In America, corporations and rich people never pay their fair share of taxes. They feed off the blood of everyone else. If you don't have money, you're nothing. The government, democrats or republicans, don't care about ordinary people. They care only for themselves, big business and rich people.

  24. When Inga said "you forget how to eat when you no longer have the money." I believe that. US Veteran, became homeless in 2023, started slowly losing all my money and savings trying to avoid it. First thing I noticed was that food no longer became seen as meals or full courses. Everything is a snack or something quick to put together and go. Its so expensive being poor. Take what you can get, eat it quick, and keep an eye for the next food.

  27. I feel sorry for the the two ladies because life sometimes truly throws you some massive curve balls and what happened to them could happen to anybody. To the self-employed guy…only partially. I feel for him because I know what it means to be self-employed but the fact that he admits that had frittered the money away and lived after the motto " man gönnt sich ja sonst nichts"…I see it time and time again…why can't people be more forward thinking? The good times never last. They are usually short and it is a basic necessity to prepare for the lean years.

  28. yeah, well, this is what happens when your government embraces Green policies, mass immigration, funding Ukraine ad infinitum and sanctioning Russia. welcome to what you voted for.

  31. A'd in the same time millions of immigrants from countries thhat have no ties with Germany get free monthly money and accommodation while people who built the country and paid taxes their while life in the narion they're born in die poor

  34. Just my 🪙🪙

    What is the purpose of taxes, if not to help the people? Surely, you're not spending all of it on roads and warfare? How about getting rid of the payrol tax (or whatever they call it in germany) and switch to 15% of vat and/or income tax to provide everyone with a comfortable living, pegged to inflation. Solidarity.

    "When you beggar your neighbour, you may very well beggar yourself." – JM Keynes

  36. Oh boy you think this is a problem now ? wait for 20-30 years the issues caused by birth rate decline will kick. Most of Gen-Z and Millennials will be having a un-dignified old age

  39. @l.a.v.alindysawesomevanadv3428 on Youtube is around 80 and she lives in a van alone cause rent was too much and social security was not enough ☹

  41. Old age poverty isn't taboo. It's being discussed and HAS BEEN being discussed for decades, with a rise in discussions after the reunification. Thing is, the people who make the laws never experience it, and that's enough for them to claim that it can't be that bad…

  43. Same in Canada. And with rents rising many cannot even afford that, let alone any bills or food. I am only a few years away and could likely become homeless.

  44. So heartbreaking 💔
    Does anyone can recommend organizations which help the elderly with this difficult situation to donate to in Aachen?

  46. it isn't just in Germany, or France, or the UK….
    it's the same story in every country.
    and I mean even the so called "poor" nations.
    and it isn't just the old.
    it's anyone who doesn't have the ear of a politician.
    everywhere the rich and well connected, the corporate aristocrats, are dismantling the social safety net,
    so that more of the vast pool of money created by taxation goes into their pockets.
    trickle down economics is what they call it.
    authoritarians thrive on the conditions that arise when aristocratic corporate greed gets out of hand,
    as Germany knows only too well.
    and as many other nations may soon learn to their peril.

  47. Wow well us aussies r living like kings then if he only has 300 left after rent n so on for a hole month lol but dont forget that guy lives in a big city like Munich so no wonder he cant afford more than just a one room apartment

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