More and more German pensioners can no longer afford life in this country - and emigrate to Thailand, Bulgaria & Co. A couple reports.
Few people want to have to think about how to contest their retirement in old age. But more and more Germans cannot live on their monthly pension - and are forced to go abroad. According to statistics from Deutsche Rentenversicherung, the number of German pensioners abroad has more than doubled since 1984. So there are currently said to be 240,000 who receive their pension outside of Germany. The reason for this: In other countries, they usually live much cheaper.
It is cheaper abroad: Many German pensioners emigrate
So did Waldemar and Hildegard H. Together, you only get a pension of 1,200 euros , as the couple reveals to the T-Online news portal. For this reason, ten years ago it decided to emigrate to Bulgaria. There they have a house and a garden that the retirees take care of.
Also interesting : woman (60) falls out of all clouds - when she learns how much pension she will get later .
They decided to turn their backs on Germany because the " month was longer than the pension, " says Waldemar H. In addition, the couple did not want to be a burden on their children. Another reason: the cost of living in Bulgaria is only half as high. " In Germany, I could no longer afford a car, a sensible apartment, or a sensible food and drink, " continued Waldemar.
Read here : "I am under enormous stress": pensioner with severe illness (68) only lives on five euros a month .
Pensioners: "In Germany I could survive but not live"
And it seems that the German community in Bulgaria continues to grow. Studies have shown that in 2002 107 German pensioners emigrated to Bulgaria. In 2018, there were 652 . For comparison: After Thailand, 671 German pensioners were in 2002, in 2018 there were a whopping 5,415.
Find out here : Before you receive your pension, there will be a lot of money deducted .
A friend of the couple is also a pensioner and has emigrated to Bulgaria. Compared to the news portal, she only says: " I get along much better here than in Germany. (...) I could survive in Germany but not live ", she concluded. Even Waldemar and Hildegard can no longer imagine a return home. That would no longer be an option for them.
Read also : Pensioner loses his house - just because he owes the tax office eight euros.
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