Germany has the oldest working population in the European Union. According to Destatis, based on Eurostat data, in 2024 of the roughly 40.9 million people aged 15 to 64 who were employed, about 9.8 million-nearly one‑quarter (24.0 %)-were between 55 and 64 years old. That is the highest share among all EU member states. Across the EU older workers made up roughly a fifth (20.1 %) of the workforce.
In 2024 Italy ranked second in the EU with 23.0 % of its working‑age population aged 55 to 64, while Bulgaria followed with 22.3 %. Malta had the lowest proportion, with only 10.8 % of its employees in that age group (about one in nine). Luxembourg (12.8 %) and Poland (15.2 %) also had comparatively smaller shares of older workers.
The high proportion of older employees in Germany is mainly driven by an ageing population and the fact that people are retiring later. In 2024 the average retirement age reported by the German Pension Insurance was 64.7 years for both women and men. In 2004, women retired at 63.0 years and men at 63.1 years. The rise in the retirement age is partly due to the gradual increase of the statutory retirement age to 67 by 2029, and also the phasing out of two early‑retirement schemes that previously allowed people to take early pensions as early as 60 years old.
