The average monthly pension in Romania increased by 12.2% in Q4 2024 from Q3 2024, to RON 2,898, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) reported on Friday.

The average number of pensioners was 4.92 million people, down 41,000 on a quarterly basis, while the average number of state social security pensioners was 4.56 million people, down 36,000.

According to official statistics, the average state social security pension was RON 2,797, and the ratio between the average net nominal state social security pension for old age with full contribution cycle (excluding tax and health insurance contribution) and the average net salary was 59.1% (compared to with 53.4% in the previous quarter).

The average real pension index compared to the previous quarter, calculated as the ratio between the nominal pension index for the calculation of the real pension and the consumer price index, was 112.2% in Q4 2024.

Compared with Q3 2023, the average number of pensioners decreased by 57,000 in the last three months of 2024, and that of the pensioners drawing a state social security pension decreased by 45,000. The average monthly pension and the average state social security pension increased in Q4 2024 by 36.4% and 39.2%, respectively, year-on-year.

As against the previous quarter, in Q4 2024, the average number of pensioners decreased by 41,000 people, and the average number of state social security pensioners decreased by 36,000. The average monthly pension and the average state social security pension increased from the Q3 2024 by 12.2% and 13.7%, respectively.

According to INS data, in Q4 2024, social security pensioners held the majority share (99.98%) in the total number of pensioners, and state social security pensioners accounted for 92.6% in the total number of social security pensioners.

By pension categories, among social security pensioners, the number of old-age pensioners was predominant, accounting for 80.2%, followed by pensioners on survivor benefits, with a share of 9.6% and pensioners on disability pensions, which accounted for 8%.

In the category of social security pensioners, the lowest shares were held by pensioners on partial early-retirement pensions, with a share of 2.1% and pensioners on early-retirement pensions, whose share was only 0.1%.

The ratio between the average number of state social security pensioners and that of employees was 8 to 10; this report presents significant variations in the country, from only 4 pensioners to 10 employees in Bucharest and Ilfov county, to 14 pensioners to 10 employees in Vaslui County, and 15 pensioners to 10 employees in Teleorman County.

The average state social security pension varied with significant discrepancies nationwide, with the difference between the minimum and maximum value being RON 1,314 (RON 3,531 in Bucharest, RON 3,493 lei in Hunedoara County and RON 3,314 in Brasov County, as against RON 2,272 in Giurgiu County, RON 2,257 in Vrancea County and RON 2,217 in Botosani County).

The total number of beneficiaries of the provisions of OUG 6/2009 establishing a guaranteed minimum social pension (currently – social allowance), in Q4 2024, was 926,800 people, of which: 832,300 people from the state social insurance system, representing 18.2% of the total pensioners in this category; 90,900 people from among the pensioners coming from the former system for farmers, representing 65.5% of the total; 3,600 people in the military system, representing 1.7% of the total of this category (EUR 1 = RON 4.97).

AGERPRES