[mschild]

Yes. Germany is steering towards a massive cliff and nothing's changing. The mandatory retirement tax I pay goes straight to retirees today. That system only works though if you have a growing population. Every year the ratio of retirees/workers increases. Even today that system isn't self-sufficient. In 2021 the government had to allot an additional 91 billion EUR. By 2030 it's expected to be 134. Most of my peers (20-30 year olds) are fully aware that we very likely won't receive a government retirement or one so low that it wouldn't make a difference.

[cpp_frog]

Didn't the german chancellor say recently that Germany would have to take in 1.5 million immigrants a year so that its pension system wouln't collapse? I personally don't think that is the solution but Spain is going through a similar phenomenon (pensions-low TFR).

[red-iron-pine]

Spain has the advantage of having an entire continent who speak Spanish, are generally Catholic, and were former colonies / have overlapping culture. Failing that, British expats might suffice.

[ethbr0]

German politics/demographics seem balanced carefully between {need for immigrants to maintain population growth} and {cultural reaction to immigrants}.

Although, credit to Germans, at least they're talking about the problem like adults. Mostly. Or moreso than other countries.

[criddell]

> That system only works though if you have a growing population.

That's true, but there are other systems. Japan prints more money. They are the poster child for modern monetary theory.

[bratbag]

By the time you retire, you will be part of a generation significantly smaller than the one younger than you.

It's the boomer bulge creating today's issues.

[mschild]

True, but what will the population pyramid look like then?

There's no guarantee that it will stabilize and stay constant.