Wenau G, et al. – In a cohort of retired German men aged ≥ 65 years, researchers analyzed trends in mortality by socioeconomic status since the late 1990s by using large administrative data sets. These men were classified based on their working-life biographies. Data comprising > 84.1 million person-years and 4.3 million deaths covering the years 1997–2016 were studied. In post-reunification Germany, substantial influences of socioeconomic deprivation on levels of mortality were reported. Transition to the West German pension system offered profits to East German retirees initially but, at the same time, challenges related to the transition to the market economy were faced by subsequent cohorts. Delayed impact of post-reunification unemployment and status decline on old-age mortality were evident in East Germany.