In December 2025 about 1.28 million people in Germany received benefits under the Basic Income Security (SGB XII) for old‑age and permanent disability. The Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) reported that this is roughly 23 000 – or 1.8 % – more than the 1.26 million who received benefits in December 2024.
Eligibility covers adults who are permanently, fully disabled or who have reached the statutory retirement age and cannot secure their livelihood from personal income and assets. The retirement age has changed over time: before 1947 it was 65 years; for those born in 1947 or later, the age has been gradually raised to 67 years since 2012. In December 2025 the statutory retirement threshold was 66 years and two months.
Approximately 764 000 people in December 2025 had reached or exceeded the retirement age and were receiving basic income security for old age. From the end of 2024 to the end of 2025 this number grew by 3.4 %, reaching a new all‑time high.
In contrast, the number of recipients for permanent disability fell 0.5 % to about 520 000 in December 2025 – the lowest level since December 2018. These recipients, aged 18 up to the retirement age, qualify because they cannot work more than three hours a day under normal market conditions due to a permanent full disability, a condition that is expected to last indefinitely. The peak for disability recipients was 539 000 in March 2020.
The count of eligible Ukrainian refugees rose from roughly 99 000 in December 2024 to 109 000 in December 2025, a 9.9 % increase. This growth contributed significantly to the overall trend, though it was lower than in previous years (the last jump was 14.6 % in December 2024 versus December 2023). Since 1 June 2022, Ukrainian refugees have been entitled to SGB XII benefits rather than those limited to the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act (AsylbLG).