The German pension is 26,000 and the French is 24,000, while the UK pension is only 8,000.
When looking at state pensions, assuming these figures are in pounds, they aren’t all correct. While the figure for the UK is right for some pensioners, for others it’s too low, while the figures for France and Germany appear too high. These figures also don’t account for other elements of pensioners’ incomes, which vary between countries.
An image shared by several accounts on Facebook comparing pensions in different countries uses inaccurate figures.
It claims that the German pension is “26K”, while the French pension is “24K” and the UK’s “8K”.
When looking at state pensions, these figures aren’t all correct, and comparing pension amounts in this way isn’t particularly useful as it ignores the significant differences in the way schemes work in each country.
The post claims that the UK pension is “only 8K”. Assuming this means £8,000, it is roughly correct for older pensioners receiving the basic state pension, but too low for those receiving the new state pension.
As of the current financial year (2023/24), the full basic state pension in the UK (paid to men born before 6 April 1951 and women born before 6 April 1953) is £156.20 per week, or around £8,100 per year, while the full new state pension (paid to those born after these dates) is £203.85 per week, or around £10,600 per year.
Assuming the post is attempting to compare public pension systems, the figure of “24K” given for French pensions appears too high when looking at state pension payments. In France the pension system consists of a basic scheme, with a minimum payment of €684.13 per month, or around €8,200 per year (about £7,000 at the time of writing) and a maximum of €1,833 per month, or around €22,000 per year (about £18,700).
In Germany there is no statutory minimum or maximum pension, and it’s not clear what the figure of “26K” referenced in the post is based on.
According to the statutory pension provider in Germany—at the end of 2022 the average gross monthly pension (for pensioners with at least 35 years of qualifying pension contributions) in Germany was €1,550, or €18,600 per year (around £15,800) .
Honesty in public debate matters
You can help us take action – and get our regular free email
It’s also important to note that comparing different countries’ basic state pension systems in this way isn’t particularly useful.
The UK state pension is a broadly flat amount not tied to how much someone earned while working (though some people who retired before 6 April 2016 also receive the additional state pension, the amount of which is determined by factors including earnings and how many years you paid National Insurance).
In France meanwhile, the state pension system provides a minimum payment, but can pay out more depending on past earnings, and also a mandatory occupational scheme. These are both public schemes.
In Germany, it’s compulsory for most workers to belong to a pension scheme, though as we’ve explained there’s no minimum or maximum amount, with the amount you’re eligible to receive calculated based on previous earnings and the number of years you’ve made contributions.
The figures discussed in this article refer to basic state pension schemes in each country, and don’t include additional income pensioners may receive from private pension schemes, benefits or savings, so don’t present a full picture of overall pensioner income.
For example, UK workers often also take out private occupational pensions to provide income in retirement, with occupational pensions accounting for a considerably higher proportion of pensioners’ incomes in the UK than in Germany and France, while pensioners in France receive a higher proportion of their income from private pensions or savings than those in Germany and the UK.
The figures also don’t consider how much people in different countries pay in taxes or contributions towards their pensions.
An alternative way to compare pension values is by using “replacement rates”, which consider pension earnings as a share of pre-retirement earnings.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) figures published in 2023 show that the UK has an average net replacement rate of 54.4%, compared to 71.9% in France and 55.3% in Germany. These figures take into account payments from mandatory pension schemes, as well as the impact of taxes and contributions.
We’ve written about misleading pension comparisons between countries before.
Image courtesy of pixabay
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as partly false because when looking at state pensions, these figures aren’t all correct, and don’t account for other elements of pensioners’ incomes, which vary between countries.
Full Fact fights for good, reliable information in the media, online, and in politics.
Bad information ruins lives. It promotes hate, damages people’s health, and hurts democracy. You deserve better.