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Old-age poverty in MV: One in five affected – urgent need for action!
On October 10, 2025, experts in Neubrandenburg discussed old-age poverty and challenges for those affected in MV.
Old-age poverty in MV: One in five affected – urgent need for action!
On October 10, 2025, the state poverty conference with the title “Poverty risk of aging - age risk of poverty” took place at Neubrandenburg University. Students, experts and those affected met here to discuss a topic that severely affects many older people in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: poverty in old age. Loud NDR One in five older people in the country is at risk of poverty.
Poverty particularly affects people with low incomes or single parents. An impressive, if sad, number: around 3.3 million pensioners in Germany live in constant fear of financial bottlenecks. This situation is particularly worrying for women, who often find themselves in an insecure financial situation after the loss of a partner. As the sociologist Kai Brauer emphasizes, only wealthy people and civil servants are adequately protected - if there is no improvement here, the pension level could fall to a paltry 43% of average income by 2030.
Regional dimensions of poverty in old age
The conference also highlighted regional differences. The reality is often different in rural areas than in urban areas. Elderly people there are less mobile and often remain in peripheral regions where care is difficult. Loud bpb The risk of poverty rate for people over 65 in Germany rose to 18.1% in 2022, compared to 16.7% of the total population. This shows that poverty in old age is not a phenomenon independent of education or income. Compared to 10% 20 years ago, the situation of older people has deteriorated dramatically.
The use of basic social security benefits is particularly noticeable. In 2023 this was a modest 502 euros for single people and twice 451 euros for partners. The number of basic security recipients over the age of 65 has increased continuously since 2003 and amounted to around 1.2 million in 2022. Despite these social benefits, a significant proportion of those entitled to benefits do not make use of basic social security benefits out of shame or ignorance.
The financial situation of pensioners in comparison
The risk of poverty in Germany is decreasing Destatis Defined: Anyone who has less than 60% of the median income of the total population is considered to be at risk of poverty. The forecasts for 2024 indicate an at-risk-of-poverty rate of 19.4% for people aged 65 and over, with an additional increase for women in this age group. While men are at 17%, it looks undramatic for women at 21.4%.
One of the topics that was addressed at the conference was the active pension, which will allow 2,000 euros tax-free from next year. However, many experts agree that this will not solve all retirement planning problems. Rather, what is needed is the political will to seriously address issues such as the inclusion of civil servants and the self-employed in pension funds. Although no concrete solutions have been found, food for thought for better pension provision is urgently needed.
The conference clearly demonstrated that poverty in old age is increasingly becoming a problem for society as a whole that cannot be ignored. It no longer only affects marginalized groups, but extends to all levels of society. A willingness to discuss this issue openly could be the first step in the right direction.