Pensions and social security
agency INPS said Wednesday that Italy had 18.1 million
pensioners at the start of 2016.
INPS added that 63.1% of the pensioners (11.5 million
people) had pensions of under 750 euros a month in data
excluding former civil servants and those who used to pay into
the non-defunct ENPALS fund for show-business workers.
It said 45% of male pensioners received less than 750 euros
a month, while 77.1% of female pensioners received less than
than 750 euros a month.
Overall spending for pensions in 2015 totaled 196.8 billion
euros.
INPS said the 192.6 billion euros in pension spending for
Italian residents in 2015 was equivalent to 11.6% of the
country's GDP, representing a 0.1% decrease compared to the
previous year.
The average pensioner's age is 73.6 years, with a 4.5-year
difference in average age between men and women (71 for men,
75.5 for women), it said.
The average age for first-time pensioners (based on age
requirements) increased to 65.4 years in the first two months of
2016, up from the average of 62.9 years in 2010, INPS said.
For first-time pensioners based on years of contributions,
the average age has increased to 60.6 years in the first two
months of 2016, up from 59.1 years in 2010, it said.
It said that 2,980,799 Italians were on disability pensions
at the start of 2016.
Of those, 44.8% lived in southern Italy (64.1 for every
1,000 residents there); 34.7% in northern Italy (37.2 for every
1,000 residents); and 20.6% in central regions (50.8 for every
1,000 residents).
INPS said it paid off 1,120,638 pensions in 2015, more than
half (51%) not stemming from contributions, such as disability
pensions.
"Such a high number compared to the amount of pensions
being paid has been offset by a very quick turnover compared to
welfare-type payments," it said.
The amount of money earmarked for pensions paid off in 2015
amounted to 10.4 billion euros, INPS said.
Italy's big three trade union confederations, the CGIL,
CISL and UIL, have announced a nationwide strike for April 2 to
lobby for an unpopular 2011 law on pensions named after then
labour minister Elsa Fornero to be changed.
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