In Germany, on average, people retired at the age of 64.4 last year, according to a spokesman for the German pension insurance system on Tuesday.
In 2021 the average retirement age was 64.1 years. The main reason for the recent increase in the average age is a change in the pension regulations that allowed people insured under a particular category to retire at 63, he told dpa.
Last year, the limit for this category of pension was 64 years. It is due to be increased gradually to 65, when it will match the standard retirement age.
The current retirement age for a state pension is 65 in Germany, but this is gradually being raised to 67.
The "pension at 63" category was introduced by the previous German government and was designed for people who had been insured for a particularly long time, who had paid contributions for at least 45 years.
It allowed those born before 1953 to retire at 63 without deductions.
The age limit is higher for younger people born after 1964. They are only able to draw a pension without deductions from the age of 65.
For anyone born after January 1, 1964, the basic age threshold of 67 is to apply.
Meanwhile the pension insurer noted that the actual retirement age has risen significantly over time. In 2000, people were retiring at an age of 62.3 on average.
Conservative opposition lawmaker Jens Spahn called for an end to the "pension at 63." Germany was suffering from a lack of skilled workers who retired early, he told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag.
Other parties and trade unions rejected the suggestion.
