More pensioners receive basic income support in old age

The number of pensioners who have to receive basic security benefits in old age is rising steadily in Saxony. Last year, 19,745 people were dependent on this support, the Left Party reported, citing data from the Ministry of Social Affairs. In 2019, 11,916 people were still receiving basic income support, compared to 6,150 in 2002. The "Leipziger Volkszeitung" and the "Sächsische Zeitung" had previously reported on this.

According to the Pension Atlas, a good 1.1 million people in Saxony currently receive a pension. Based on this figure, less than two percent of pensioners are dependent on basic old-age benefits.

Left: Old-age poverty continues to grow

Left leader Susanne Schaper nevertheless expressed her alarm at the rising figures. "Old-age poverty in Saxony continues to grow and there is no easing in sight," she explained. "We in the east in particular, where wages are still lower in comparison, need reliable statutory pension insurance."

All working people should pay contributions into the pension fund for their entire income from their job and the financial market, Schaper demanded. In addition, the contribution assessment ceiling must be abolished so that high and highest incomes no longer remain non-contributory.

According to the pension atlas, the average old-age pension in Saxony after at least 35 years of insurance is €1,529 gross per month. At 1,663 euros, men receive a slightly higher pension on average than women at 1,415 euros. The national average is 1,623 euros.