Does reducing exposure to image and video content on messaging apps reduce the impact of misinformation? Yes and no

Experiments with WhatsApp users during Brazil’s 2022 presidential election shows mixed impact of political disinformation

New York University

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Elected officials, political analysts, and nonprofit organizations have for years spotlighted the spread of online election information in Western democracies—largely with a focus on media platforms popular in these nations, such as X and Facebook. 

But in most of the world—notably the Global South—misinformation often reaches citizens through social messaging apps, including WhatsApp. Most often, falsehoods are shared on these platforms through multimedia content, such as easy-to-share videos and images. 

Recognizing this, a team of researchers at New York University’s Center for Social Media and Politics (CSMaP) studied the behavior of WhatsApp users during the 2022 presidential election in Brazil. 

They found that deactivating access to multimedia content (video and images) on the platform reduced the recall of false rumors that circulated widely online during the pre-election weeks, suggesting that the spread of disinformation could be stymied by avoiding social media content. 

However, the team’s experiments also showed that deactivating multimedia content reduced recall of true news headlines—but at a considerably lower rate compared to the reduction in misinformation exposure. 

More significantly, while deactivation significantly reduced self-reported exposure to false news—consistent with previous studies—the experimental results showed no difference in whether or not participants believed in false news. The findings also found no changes in levels of polarization, indicating that a reduction in exposure to potentially polarizing political content might not stem rising levels of polarization.

“There is widespread concern that social media plays a crucial role in the spread of online misinformation,” says Tiago Ventura, a CSMaP postdoctoral researcher at the time of the study and the lead author of the paper, which appears in The Journal of Politics. “However, even though WhatsApp has been central to these concerns in the Global South, research on its effects has been scarce.

“While our results show this impact may be more limited than many may have assumed, it would be a mistake to conclude that WhatsApp plays no role in politics—its use as a coordination and mobilization tool after Brazil’s 2022 election is well-documented.”

Ventura, now an assistant professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, adds that accuracy assessments were not uniform across WhatsApp users.

“Those who received political content on WhatsApp multiple times a day improved their capacity to identify false rumors,” explains Ventura. “However, those who rarely received political news via WhatsApp became significantly worse at identifying misinformation.”

In conducting their study, the researchers recruited Brazilian participants for an experiment that ran during the 2022 Brazilian presidential election, starting September 15 and ending on October 5 (three days after its first round). 

A group of nearly 800 participants was split into two groups: the treatment group and the control group. The treatment group was asked to turn off their automatic downloads of multimedia (video and images) on WhatsApp and to not consume any media on WhatsApp for three weeks; the control group was asked to not consume any media on WhatsApp for only three days. Compliance was confirmed by participants reporting records of their overall WhatsApp data storage, with lower data totals reflecting diminished WhatsApp consumption of multimedia content for the treatment group.

At the end of the three-week period, the participants read a series of news summaries related to the election. Some were true; others were false. They were asked which stories they could recall seeing on social media. The study’s authors then matched the recollection of the participants for both false and true stories to their WhatsApp usage during the studied period in order to illuminate any relationship between platform usage and misinformation.

“Our study shows the continued importance of moving beyond what we know about the impact of social media usage on politics in the United States,” concludes NYU Professor Joshua A. Tucker, co-director of CSMaP and one of the paper’s authors. “The vast majority of social media users reside outside of the United States, so we must continue subjecting what we think we know about social media to different populations and platforms.” 

The paper’s other authors were Rajeshwari Majumdar, a former NYU doctoral student and now a postdoctoral associate at Yale University’s Identity and Conflict Lab, and NYU Professor Jonathan Nagler, co-director of CSMaP.

Support for the research was provided by John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Charles Koch Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Siegel Family Endowment.

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Journal

The Journal of Politics

DOI

10.1086/737172 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Misinformation Beyond Traditional Feeds: Evidence from a WhatsApp Deactivation Experiment in Brazil

Article Publication Date

26-Jun-2025

 

Insilico ranked Top50 in USA in Nature Index’s “2025 Research Leaders: Global corporate institutions for all-subject output”

InSilico Medicine

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The 2025 Nature Index Research Leaders rankings have been officially released. Leveraging sustained scientific breakthroughs at the intersection of biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and automation, Insilico Medicine secured a position among the Top 100 global corporate institutions for biological sciences and natural sciences publications, and ranked 43rd among global corporate institutions in the USA across all-subject output.

Widely recognized as a key metric for evaluating research impact, the Nature Index is extensively used to assess academic output and innovation in the natural sciences worldwide. This year’s rankings track research contributions from January 1 to December 31, 2024, based on papers published in 145 select, high-quality peer reviewed journals, including Nature portfolio, Science, Cell etc.

During this period, Insilico released 55 publications. The company’s remarkable rise in the ranking was driven by two studies published in Nature Biotechnology. The first, released in March 2024, detailed the preclinical development of Rentosertib (ISM001-055)—the world’s first TNIK inhibitor discovered and designed with the aid of generative AI—from target identification to preclinical candidate nomination, highlighting the benefits of AI-led drug discovery methodology to provide efficiency and speed to drug discovery. The second study, published in December 2024, described the design and optimization of a novel gut-restricted PHD inhibitor, ISM5411, using generative chemistry engine Chemistry42, underscoring the transformative potential of AI in providing solutions for unmet medical needs.

In recent years, Insilico has steadily increased its investment in cutting-edge research, remaining dedicated to sharing its discoveries through peer-reviewed publications. Since the beginning of 2025, the company has published 4 papers in the Nature portfolio, further reinforcing its reputation for innovation and global academic leadership in the AI-driven biotechnology industry.

Specifically, in January 2025, Insilico, in collaboration with the University of Toronto, published a joint paper in Nature Biotechnology that, for the first time, reported the leverage of a quantum–classical hybrid model for designing novel KRAS inhibitors. In May, in collaboration with the Guangzhou Medical University team, the company published research in Nature Communications on the AI-enabled design of broad-spectrum coronavirus inhibitors. Also in May, another Nature Communications paper detailed the AI-driven discovery and design of a novel ENPP1 small molecule inhibitor, offering new strategies with broad potential for innovative immunotherapy. In June, Insilico published phase IIa clinical trial data in Nature Medicine on the safety and efficacy of the AI-discovered TNIK inhibitor Rentosertib (ISM001-055), marking a significant industry milestone as the world’s first clinical proof-of-concept for AI-driven drug development.

Harnessing state-of-the-art AI and automation technologies, Insilico has significantly improved the efficiency of preclinical drug development. Whereas traditional early-stage drug discovery typically requires 2.5 to 4 years, from 2021 to 2024 Insilico nominated 20 preclinical candidates, achieving an average turnaround—from project initiation to preclinical candidate (PCC) nomination—of just 12 to 18 months per program, with only 60 to 200 molecules synthesized and tested in each program.

Since its founding in 2014, Insilico has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers. The company is committed to advancing scientific innovation in biomedicine, setting new industry standards, and spearheading paradigm shifts within the field.

About Insilico Medicine

Insilico Medicine, a leading and global AI-driven biotech company, utilizes its proprietary Pharma.AI platform and cutting-stage automated laboratory to accelerate drug discovery and advance innovations in life sciences research. By integrating AI and automation technologies and deep in-house drug discovery capabilities, Insilico is delivering innovative drug solutions for unmet needs including fibrosis, oncology, immunology, pain, and obesity and metabolic disorders. Additionally, Insilico extends the reach of Pharma.AI across diverse industries, such as advanced materials, agriculture, nutritional products and veterinary medicine. For more information, please visit www.insilico.com.

 

Manufacturing chemicals via orthogonal strategy, making full use of waste plastic resources in real life

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Peking University, June 27, 2025: Addressing the challenge of waste plastics treatments, the scientific community has been pursuing innovative solutions. Recently, Peking University researchers led by Ma Ding from College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, in collaboration with Xu Shutao from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, uncovered how complex plastic mixtures can be utilized based on the differences in the physical and chemical properties of the components with the aids of NMR technique and catalytic approaches. This work provides a new treatment strategy for recovering real-life plastics and maximizing their potential as raw materials. Their findings, entitled “In-line NMR Guided Orthogonal Transformation of Real-life Plastics,” were published in Nature on June 25, 2025.

Why it matters: 
The global accumulation of plastic waste poses a serious threat to wildlife and ecosystems. Chemical recycling and upcycling technologies offers a promising solution by transforming waste plastics into valuable products, while currently most of them primarily handle single components or polymers with a same structural characteristic. However, efficient recycling of plastic mixtures remains challenging due to their complex composition and structural heterogeneity. However, there is still a lack of effective solutions for real-world plastic waste characterized by complex structures, diverse types, and vastly differing properties.

Methodology: 
The mixed plastic samples were first analyzed by solid-state NMR technique (two-dimensional 1H–13C frequency-switched Lee–Goldburg heteronuclear correlation) to make a reliable identification of the functional groups in the intermingled matrix. Then, to design suitable transformation routes for desired products, catalytic reactions including photo-oxidation, amination, dehydrogenation coupling and hydrocracking were arrayed with solvent-based pre-processes such as selective dissolution and solvolysis reactions interspersed. To cope with the unknown real-world waste, strategically integration of solid-state NMR with complementary techniques such as solution-state NMR, elemental analysis, vibrational spectroscopy, photoelectron spectroscopy and so on was employed. 

Key findings: 
1. This study innovatively proposed a product-oriented orthogonal transformation strategy, which is based on accurate identification of the characteristic functional groups, utilized the differences in the physical and chemical properties of different plastic components, and is designed in a targeted manner to convert different types of plastics into valuable chemicals in sequence under mild and low-energy conditions.
2. This strategy successfully achieved the directional preparation of mixed plastics into a variety of valuable products. Started with 20g of real-life plastic mixtures composed of polystyrene, polylactic acid, polyurethane, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene and polypropylene commodities, a group of useful chemicals were obtained, including 1.3 g of benzoic acid, 0.5 g of plasticizer, 0.7 g of alanine, 0.7 g of lactic acid, 1.4 g of aromatic amine salts, 2.1 g of bisphenol A, 2.0 g of terephthalic acid and 3.5 g of C3-C6 alkanes.
3. The NMR guided orthogonal strategy can effectively analyze and transform unknown waste samples—such as mixtures of various plastic commodities in daily life, samples from refineries, auto repair shops, and the textile industry—demonstrating its feasibility and robustness in real-world plastic waste management.
4. The study proposed a highly adjustable waste resource conversion strategy, under which each specific processing step can be improved and optimized according to the characteristics of the raw materials, the target product requirements and technological progress, in order to maximize the economic and environmental benefits.

This groundbreaking study opens up a new avenue for treating real-life plastic waste, offering hope for more efficient and sustainable utilization of plastic resources for the production of a variety of valuable products.

Written by: Ma Ding, Xu Shutao
Edited by: Zhang Jiang
Source: College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University

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Journal

Nature

 

Study overturns long-held belief about shape of fish schools

Princeton University, Engineering School

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video: 

Example video of fish school tracked for 2 minutes

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Credit: Ko et al.

For 50 years, scientists believed that schools of fish would save the most energy by swimming in flat diamond formations. Recently, a team of researchers at Princeton and Harvard ran an experiment to check this assumption.

It turns out that, contrary to what models predicted, fish don’t swim in diamonds. They swim in a dynamic pattern that the researchers call a ladder, where they’re staggered in three dimensions like an echelon of fighter jets.

The research team, led by Radhika Nagpal, professor of robotics at Princeton, adapted computer vision software originally developed to track individual animal movements to collect the first 3D data on fish school formation. Working with Harvard University biologist George Lauder, the researchers analyzed a group of six giant danios swimming for 10 hours in a tank with recirculating flow. They found that the fish almost never formed a diamond, instead swimming in a ladder shape 79 percent of the time.

“When swimming, fish on average generate a jet going backward, like the jet engine of a plane,” said Hungtang Ko, postdoctoral researcher at Princeton and lead author on the study. Because of this, it’s beneficial to avoid being directly behind one another. Ko said the ladder formation provides similar hydrodynamic benefits as in the diamond shape, but the fish don’t have to work as hard to synchronize because they can stagger in multiple planes instead of just one.

The diamond formation was first proposed as the most hydrodynamically efficient in the 1970s, and has since been reinforced by models and experiments that were limited to a 2D view. Models of fish schools have generally been limited to flat planes because it’s difficult to capture accurate 3D movement from multiple camera angles. The new software adaptation solved that problem, laying a foundation for future studies to examine fish schools in 3D.

The researchers said this work has interesting applications in robotics. The Nagpal lab is working on fish-inspired underwater robot swarms that in the future could move in similar dynamic ladder formations and gain energetic benefits. Understanding fish schools will help engineers design more efficient underwater robots for tasks like monitoring reefs and kelp forests.

“The collaboration is a two-way street,” said Ko. “We can use computer vision to discover how and why animal groups do things together. And then we can ask, what kind of real-world robotic system could this biological insight be applied to?”

 

This paper, “Beyond planar: fish schools adopt ladder formations in 3D,” was published June 27 in Scientific Reports. In addition to Nagpal, Ko and Lauder, the authors include Abigail Girma, Yangfan Zhang and Yu Pan. The research was supported by ONR MURI grant N00014-22-1-2616. Ko is supported by the James S. McDonnell Foundation’s Postdoctoral Fellowship for Understanding Dynamic & Multi-scale Systems and the Company of Biologists Travelling Fellowship. Zhang is supported by a Postdoctoral Fellowship of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship of NSERC & Canadian Institutes of Health Research

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Journal

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-025-06150-2 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Beyond planar: fish schools adopt ladder formations in 3D

Article Publication Date

27-Jun-2025

Early 20th century closures of US medical schools resulted in drops in infant mortality, non-infant mortality, and total mortality

Study chronicles effects of ‘flexner-era’ reforms

Reports and Proceedings

Carnegie Mellon University

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Efforts in the early 20th century to improve the quality of medical education in the United States led to a steep decline in the number of medical schools and medical school graduates. In a new study, researchers examined the consequences of these medical school closures between 1900 and 1930 for the number of county-level physicians, nurses, and midwives, and for infant, non-infant, and total mortality. The closures led to a 4% reduction in physicians per capita and resulted in declines in infant mortality, non-infant mortality, and total mortality, they found.

The study, by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, and Marquette University, appears as an NBER Working Paper.

“Our findings build on previous research on the historical supply and distribution of doctors and nurses in the United States, and offer new evidence on the consequences of medical school closures for nurses and midwives,” says Karen Clay, professor of economics and public policy at Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz College, who led the study.

Many U.S. medical schools opened in the late 19th century, and many were commercial and not affiliated with universities, leading to concern about their quality. The 1910 publication of Medical Education in the United States and Canada—written by Abraham Flexner at the request of the Carnegie Foundation and known as the Flexner Report—was among the most prominent reforms in the history of U.S. medicine. An evaluation of the quality of every medical school in the United States, the report called for closing most of them. Between 1905 and 1915, more than 40% of U.S. medical schools closed or were absorbed by other institutions.

In this study, researchers sought to determine the effects of Flexner-era medical school closures on mortality. Using a variety of data (e.g., U.S. Census data from 1900 to 1930, county-level vital statistics data on mortality), they constructed a measure of school closure intensity for all U.S. counties, combining variation in distance from closures, the historical number of graduates from closing schools, and the timing of the closures. Among the study’s findings:

• Geographic areas near medical school closures were the most heavily affected: On average, in counties within 300 miles of a closed medical school, the number of physicians declined 4%.
   
• The effects came from a mix of decreases in young physicians per capita, the flow of which was reduced in places near closures, and old physicians per capita, who suffered reputational effects if the medical school where they trained closed.
   
• Market adjustment to these closures was significant: Physicians migrated to counties with higher school closure intensity values and physicians in counties with higher school closure intensity values postponed retirement. Both responses helped offset the decrease in new medical graduates.
   
• Medical school closures within 300 miles also led to increases in nurses per capita and had no effect on midwives per capita: On average, a county with average closure intensity experienced a 7% increase in nurses.
   
• Infant, non-infant, and total mortality declined as a result of school closures within 300 miles: On average, a county with average closure intensity saw a 8% reduction in infant mortality, a 4% reduction in non-infant mortality, and a 3% reduction in total mortality.
   
• These estimates suggest that 16,000 infant lives and 38,000 non-infant lives were saved annually by closing low-quality medical schools.
   
• The reductions were driven primarily by causes that were likely sensitive to physician quality, including reductions in infectious diseases and diseases of early infancy. Other factors (e.g., the presence of a county public health department; the number of county health department personnel; the number of hospitals and hospital beds; city-level public health spending on sewers, water, and refuse) were either unrelated or negatively related to medical school closures.

“Although we cannot fully isolate the role of physicians given other market adjustments in response to medical school closures, reducing the supply of poorly trained physicians appears to have reduced mortality,” explains Margarita Portnykh, assistant teaching professor of business analytics and economics at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business, who coauthored the study.

The study was supported by Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University.

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DOI

10.3386/w33937 

Article Title

Medical School Closures, Market Adjustment, and Mortality in the Flexner Report Era

Article Publication Date

18-Jun-2025

 SPACE/COSMOS

 

CARMENES data: Earth-like planets especially common around low-mass stars

Studies of 15 M-stars offer new insights into the presence of exoplanets

Heidelberg University

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According to the latest studies led by Heidelberg University astronomers, low-mass stars quite often host Earth-like planets. Data collected as part of the CARMENES project were the basis of this finding. By analyzing the data, an international research team succeeded in identifying four new exoplanets and determining their properties. At the same time, the researchers were able to show that earth-like planets are found quite frequently in the orbit of stars with less than a sixth of the mass of our Sun. These findings could support the search for potentially life-sustaining worlds in our cosmic neighborhood.

The CARMENES spectrograph system at the Calar Alto Observatory near Almería (Spain) was developed and built at the Königstuhl Observatory of Heidelberg University. It aids astronomers in the search for exoplanets that orbit so-called M-dwarfs. These stars have a mass less than one-tenth up to half of the mass of our Sun. M-dwarfs are the most abundant stars in our galaxy. They exhibit tiny periodic movements caused by the gravitational pull of orbiting planets, from which researchers can infer the existence of previously undiscovered worlds.

For the current study, the researchers chose 15 stars from a catalog of 2,200 M-dwarfs of the CARMENES program and analyzed their radial velocity data. The speed of a star can be precisely measured by recording a high-resolution spectrum and analyzing the spectral lines. The researchers discovered four new planets based on the data; the largest one has a mass 14 times greater than our Earth and orbits its host star in approximately 3.3 years. The other planets have between 1.03 and 1.52 Earth masses and orbital periods from 1.43 to 5.45 days.

Statistical analyses show that stars with less than 0.16 solar masses have on average about two planets with less than three Earth masses. “It is quite remarkable how often small planets occur around very low-mass stars,” stresses study lead Dr Adrian Kaminski from the Königstuhl Observatory, which is part of the Centre for Astronomy of Heidelberg University. Larger planets, on the other hand, are rarer. “This suggests that low-mass stars tend to form smaller planets in close orbits,” states the Heidelberg astronomer.

Among the approximately 5,000 planets previously discovered in other solar systems, none is a true “twin” of the Earth in terms of mass, radius, surface temperature, and type of parent star. However, the newly discovered planets meet at least the first three criteria, explains Prof. Dr Andreas Quirrenbach, director of the Königstuhl Observatory. “Small, rocky planets in the so-called habitable zone – the area around a star where water could exist in liquid form – are potential candidates for habitable worlds. Since M-dwarfs are very common and radiate their energy constantly into space over billions of years, they could provide stable environments for the development of life,” states the astronomer and expert in the search for exoplanets. This finding provides clues as to where the search for habitable planets could be most promising.

Along with astronomers from Heidelberg University, researchers from Bulgaria, Germany, India, Norway, Spain, and the USA contributed to the study. Among others, the Spanish Ministry of Science, the European Union, the Bulgarian National Science Fund, and the German Research Foundation funded the research work. The results were published in the journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics”.

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Journal

Astronomy and Astrophysics

DOI

10.1051/0004-6361/202453381 

Article Title

The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Occurrence rates of Earth-like planets around very low-mass stars

Polish astronaut docks at ISS after historic launch aboard Ax-4 mission

Axiom Mission 4 crew moments after boarding the ISS on June 26, 2025. / NASA/ISS

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By bne IntelliNews June 27, 2025

The Crew Dragon capsule carrying Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski successfully docked with the International Space Station on June 26, completing Poland’s first crewed space mission since 1978.

Uznański-Wiśniewski launched into orbit on June 25 aboard the Axiom Mission 4, departing from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The four-person crew includes former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Indian pilot Shubhanshu Shukla and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu.

“I hope this marks the beginning of a technological Poland – a vision of our country represented in places like the ISS or the most advanced laboratories,” Uznański-Wiśniewski said. 

Ax-4 had faced repeated delays since its original launch date of May 29, due to technical faults in the Crew Dragon capsule, adverse weather, an oxygen leak on the Falcon rocket, and issues with Russia’s Zvezda module on the ISS.

Speaking from orbit shortly after launch, Uznański-Wiśniewski addressed viewers in Poland. 

“Dear Polish women and men, today we are making a major leap toward Poland’s technological future. A future built on science, knowledge and vision. Let this mission mark the beginning of an era in which our courage and determination shape a modern Poland for ourselves and for future generations,” Uznański-Wiśniewski said.

“Space always united people. Today, I carry a part of each of you into orbit – your strength, your hope, your trust. I am not alone in space. I represent us all. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your trust. Kosmos dla wszystkich. Space for everyone,” Uznański-Wiśniewski also said.

Finance Minister Andrzej Domański defended the estimated €65mn cost of the mission, calling it a long-term investment. “Poland must invest in research and participate in the development of key technologies, including those related to space,” Domański said. He added that Poland is now positioning itself among the leading investors in advanced technologies.

“Every euro invested in the space sector means a €3-€6 return for the economy,” Domański also said.

According to space industry expert Maciej Myśliwiec, Uznański-Wiśniewski’s flight reflects the growing role of Polish firms in European space initiatives. 

“His flight is the result of increased contributions to ESA, which return to Polish companies through grants and contracts. This is a major milestone for the Polish space sector,” Myśliwiec told OKO.press, an independent news outlet.

Uznański-Wiśniewski is conducting 13 experiments aboard the ISS, developed by Polish universities and private companies. These include studies in biomedicine, materials science, artificial intelligence, and technologies intended for future space exploration – areas never before researched in orbit under the Polish flag.

Germany to raise minimum wage to €14.60 by 2027

Germans the second-highest minimum wage in the EU

Zac Crellin 

DW with dpa, Reuters

A government-appointed commission announced that Germany would raise its minimum wage twice over the next two years. The move would give Germans the second-highest minimum wage in the EU, after Luxembourg.

Germany is set to raise its hourly minimum wage to €14.60 ($17.11) by 2027, a government-appointed commission decided on Friday.

The wage increase will take place in two stages.

First, it will be increased from €12.82 per hour to €13.90 at the beginning of 2026.

It will then increase again by €0.70 a year later.

This means German workers would typically earn close to €2,500, making it the second-highest minimum wage in the European Union after Luxembourg, which mandates a monthly minimum of €2,638.

Three other EU countries also have a national minimum wage higher than €2,000 per month: Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland.

Who decided to raise the minimum wage?

Germany's Minimum Wage Commission is made up of top representatives from unions and employers.

It votes on wage adjustments every two years, taking into account the growth in incomes.

The commission's proposal must be implemented by the Labor Ministry.

In the lead-up to February's election, the Social Democrats (SPD) campaigned on raising the minimum wage. The party is now the junior member in a coalition with the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

"It's good that the minimum wage commission has reached a consensus," CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann told Germany's DPA news agency.

"This is social partnership in action and shows that the commission works. Setting wages will remain a matter for the collective bargaining partners in the future."

The announcement comes as more and more working people in Germany have come to rely on state aid to get by.

Edited by: Kieran Burke