A recent survey indicates significant public desire for increased digitization and simplification of Germany’s retirement and pension systems. The study, conducted by the IT industry association Bitkom, reveals approximately two-thirds (65%) of German citizens express a need for a consolidated digital overview of all their income sources in retirement. This figure rises to 77% among those currently still working or pre-retirement.
Overall, 46% of respondents stated a preference for managing all aspects of their retirement planning online, increasing to 55% among those not yet receiving pension payments.
The survey also highlights a growing openness to new digital advisory tools. 42% of Germans indicated willingness to receive retirement planning advice from an artificial intelligence (AI) platform based on their individual circumstances, with a majority (53%) of those not yet retired expressing such openness.
However, a substantial proportion of respondents – 45% overall and 52% of those pre-retirement – acknowledge the complexity of current retirement products, stating they would require assistance to navigate the digital process of securing them.
The findings are based on a telephone survey of 1,003 individuals aged 16 and over across Germany, including 674 currently employed or pre-retirement. Data collection occurred between the 13th and 16th calendar weeks of 2025.