Romanians claim that the level of a decent monthly pension is 4,945 RON (almost 1,000 euros), 75% higher than the current average real value of the public pension, but they do not save enough to reach this level, reveals a survey conducted by ISRA Centre at the request of the Association for Privately Administered Pensions in Romania (APAPR).

According to the survey, 97% of the respondents have heard of Pillar 2 of private pensions (compared to 90% in the previous survey, from 2022), and 79% know that they are participants in this system (66% in 2022). 61% of Romanians say they have a lot and a lot of confidence in Pillar 2 of private pensions, up substantially from 43% in 2022. Moreover, 82% say that Pillar 2 should be maintained, compared to only 67% in 2022 – indicators that denote record levels of confidence for private pensions.

Statistical figures from the National House of Public Pensions show that, currently, less than half a million pensioners, i.e. 10.4% of the total, benefit from a public pension above this level, which once again highlights the substantial gap between the legitimate expectations of the active population and the possibilities of the state pension system, which is under financial but also demographic pressure.

Also, all customer satisfaction indicators regarding Pillar 2 administration show substantial increases compared to the survey conducted in 2022. Romanians are satisfied and very satisfied at a rate of 60% with access to information regarding Pillar 2 (compared to 47% in 2022), 55% are satisfied with the security and guarantees of the system (compared to 38% in 2022), and 46-47% are satisfied with the returns and administration costs (36%-37% in 2022).

The results of the sociological research also show a slight improvement in the population’s savings: 22% of respondents say they have other savings specifically for retirement, a significant increase compared to the percentage of 12% in 2022. 37% of respondents say they never manage to save, 10% say they can put money aside once a year, 37% once every few months and only 16% say they can afford to save money month after month. For the 63% who say they can save, the priorities of the amounts set aside are, in order, emergencies, vacations or other entertainment, home improvement, children’s education and personal car.

Regarding the state pension, the survey reveals the persistence of the same fears as in the previous edition. 58% (compared to 55% in 2022) of Romanians believe that the state will have difficulties in paying pensions for future generations, while only 36% are optimistic that there will be no problems (37% in 2022). 81% of Romanians believe that the retirement age in the public system will continue to increase, and 77% fear that they do not know what pension they will have, as its level depends on political decisions.

The opinion poll is nationally representative for the urban environment, aged 25-60, with average and high incomes. The poll was conducted between January and February 2025 on a sample of 1,100 respondents, through face-to-face interviews on a tablet (CAPI method), with a margin of error of 2.9%. The sample is representative of the Romanian population participating in the 2nd pension pillar. The survey presented is the fourth conducted by ISRA Centre for APAPR, after those in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

AGERPRES