Contrary to the widespread belief that Greek pensioners enjoy more favorable retirement conditions than their European counterparts, data from the E-Governance in Social Insurance (IDIKA), Greece’s social security aggregator, reveals that they are among the oldest retirees in Europe, tovima.com, has reported.
An analysis by the Union for the Defense of Labor and the Welfare State (ENYPEKK-Greece standing up), led by social security expert Alexis Mitropoulos, found that eight out of ten Greek pensioners are over the age of 65. Nearly two million out of a total of 2.497 million retirees, including disability pension recipients, fall into this category.
The majority of Greek retirees (60%) are over 71, with a median gross pension of €882 before taxes and deductions.
Only 5% of pensioners are under 50—about 115,000 individuals, primarily receiving widowhood and disability pensions. Those between 55 and 60 make up just 4.4% of the total.
“The official data from the Ministry of Labor refute those who, in recent years, falsely claimed (to justify pension cuts and raise retirement ages) that Greeks retire significantly earlier than other Europeans,” stressed Alexis Mitropoulos, professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and president of ENYPEKK.
Women, who already earn lower wages than men in Greece, are the most affected. The gender pay gap stands at 10%, rising to 15% in the private sector, where women earn just 85% of men’s salaries.
Similarly, the IDIKA report highlights that male retirees in the old-age category outnumber female retirees and receive higher pensions. According to the latest Eurostat data, Greece’s gender pension gap reaches 24%.
Source: tovima.com
