Official statistics: Number of pensioners down by 24,000 in Q1, average pension income at 1,650 lei

Romania had an average number of 5.099 million retirees as of March 31, 2021, by 24,000 less compared to the previous quarter, and the average monthly pension was 1,650 lei, up 0.9 percent, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) reports on Monday.

There was an average of 4.665 million retirees of the public social security system, down by 14,000 compared to the previous quarter.

The average public social security pension was 1,597 lei, and the ratio of the average nominal social security pension for old age and full length of service (tax and social health insurance contribution excluded) to the net average wage was 54.6 percent (as to 54.2 percent in the previous quarter). The average real pension index compared to the previous quarter, calculated as the ratio of the nominal pension index for the calculation of the real pension to the consumer price index was 98.7 percent.

Compared to Q1 2020 the average number of retirees was by 34,000 less, and the number of retirees of the public social security system was down by 5,000. The average monthly pension and the average social security pension increased from the year-ago period by 16.0 percent and 16.2 percent, respectively.

According to the INS, in Q1 2021 social security retirees made up the overwhelming majority (99.98 percent) of the total number of retirees. Pensioners collecting benefits under the public social security plan account for 91.5 percent of the total number of social security pensioners, agerpres reports.

The total ratio of the average number of pensioners collecting benefits under the public social security plan to the number of wage earners was 9 to 10, with significant local variations.