Bulgaria is in the top ten countries where German pensioners would like to live. Why don't they want to stay in their homeland?
If Germans decide to move to another country after retirement, their pension "leaves" with them. In 2024, about 270,000 German citizens received their pension abroad. The largest number of them lived in Poland (around 29,000), Switzerland (almost 27,000), and Spain (around 23,000), according to data from the German Pension Fund.
Germans are ready to move after retirement to...
A new representative survey conducted by the market research platform Appinio shows which countries German retirees prefer to live in. The survey also contains data on the levels of pensions received - over a third rely on between 1,000 and 1,500 euros, a quarter receive less than 1,000. Statistics for 2024 indicate that over 40 percent of German pensioners receive less than 1,250 euros net.
A little more than 22 percent are satisfied with their pension, 27.5 percent are rather satisfied, and almost 17 percent are not. About a third of those surveyed are considering moving to another country after retirement, 14 percent have already made this decision, and eight percent are preparing their move.
But which countries are preferred by German pensioners? Based on the survey, clear favorites stand out, but let's first note that half of those surveyed want to stay in Europe after retirement. North America is in second place, Asia in third.
Specifically, among European countries, Spain and Hungary are in first place, Switzerland and Thailand in second, and Bulgaria shares third place with the USA and Portugal. From there, there is also interest in the Scandinavian countries - Norway and Sweden. The list also includes Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Canada and Argentina.
The elderly in Germany are becoming more and more
German society as a whole is aging. The number of elderly people and people in need of constant care in the next 30 years could increase significantly - by millions. These data are from a new report by the German government, according to which in 2050 the number of people over 80 will grow to eight to ten million.
And another figure from the Appinio study - about 55 percent of respondents do not intend to leave Germany after retirement. Their arguments for staying are health insurance, proximity to family and the language barrier if they move to another country.
When choosing a "new homeland", the healthcare system, affordable living costs, proximity to the sea and mild climate are of greatest importance to Germans. When asked which of Germany they would miss the least abroad, the majority answered: politics and the German legislative system. Almost 45 percent named the climate, 42 percent - high rents. One in five admits that they would not miss German cuisine. Over half of those surveyed said they would rent a home abroad, and about a third planned to buy their own.