The number of individuals entering the invalidity pension due to mental illnesses reached a peak in 2025. According to answers provided by the Federal Ministry of Labour to an inquiry by the Left Party, which the “Rheinische Post” reported, nearly 74,800 new applicants qualified for the disability pension based on psychological illnesses and behavioral disorders in 2025. This marks the highest value registered in the past decade. In 2024, there were just over 72,000 new recipients, while in the preceding three years, the number remained below 70,000. These figures are based on data from the German Pension Insurance. Generally, the benefit is granted to those who are unable to work due to health reasons.
In nearly 3,200 cases last year, the entitlement to the pension was linked to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), indicating a significant increase. For context, only about 2,500 people newly qualified for the disability pension due to PTSD in 2021, and fewer than 2,000 in 2016.
Bundestag representative Anne Zerr (Left Party) told the “Rheinische Post” that more people are becoming unable to work because of PTSD, noting that the number of new applicants for the disability pension due to PTSD has risen by over 60 percent since 2016. She speculates that stress originating in the workplace may also be a contributing factor. Zerr emphasized that trauma often occurs exactly where people are relied upon to keep society running-such as during rescue operations, in intensive care units, or in the cab of trains.
For this reason, Zerr advocated for the inclusion of PTSD in the list of occupational diseases. She argued that if a person experiences trauma at work, they effectively have no claim to the superior benefits provided by the statutory accident insurance, which is financed solely by employers. Instead, she insisted that the jointly financed health and pension insurance system should cover these cases, calling for work-related psychological illnesses to finally be listed as occupational diseases.
