Jens Spahn, the CDU’s parliamentary group leader, says the retirement age is expected to rise sharply. “If you reach 100, you can’t simply stop working in your mid‑60s” he told newspapers of the Funke Media Group. He notes that about every second newborn girl in Germany is likely to live to 100 years.
According to Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis), the average life expectancy at birth in 2024 was 83.5 years for women and 78.9 years for men. Between 2011 and 2019, before the pandemic, life expectancy climbed by roughly 0.1 years per year for both sexes. If that pace had continued unchanged, it would take about 165 years for women and 212 years for men to reach an average of 100 years.
Spahn argues that as life expectancy rises, the retirement age will have to rise further. He expects the pension commission to submit proposals for increasing retirement age and working‑life expectancy. The age limit for a full normal pension without reductions is currently being phased in to 67 years.
When asked whether he would allow the federal government to loosen the debt brake again to rescue social funds, Spahn gave a firm no. He said there was “no room for additional debt”.