A real paradox. This is what the 8th edition of the Savings barometer in France and the regionsproduced by Ifop for Altaprofits, unveiled on June 4, 2026. On the one hand, 75% of assets anticipate a drop in retirement income – and according to previous barometers, 85% are aware that you need to save on your own to supplement your future pension. On the other hand, 43% now rely exclusively on the pay-as-you-go pension system to ensure all of their income once retired. This last number jumps 15 points in one year. In addition to this, 39% of them rely mainly on the French retirement system, with a supplement through capitalization (8 points less than last year).
A shift that arrives in a gloomy atmosphere when we talk about retirement. According to the study, carried out at the end of March among 2,412 people, 70% of workers do not know the amount they will receive in retirement. The 50-64 year olds are 82% fear a drop in income in retirement. So how is it that 15% more of them rely on the State for their pension? “It is not out of renewed confidence in the system, it’s by constraint »estimates Catherine Baudeneau, spokesperson for Altaprofits, financial investment broker.
Rely on the system because we have no choice
“This year, we are relying more on the system, but this is especially the case for populations who have no choice”points out the expert. In other words, a lot of assets would like to save for themselvesbut do not have the means. Unable to put money aside, they fall back on the public pension alone, by default.
The figures confirm it. Those who switch to exclusive distribution are first and foremost the most fragile. 57% of the lowest-income workers, who earn less than 1,080 euros per month, rely on it alone, i.e. 19 points more than in 2025. Same trend among workers (55%) and among those who rarely or never save (64%). Women aged 35 and over are also more affected than men, at 51%.
The PER is increasing, but especially among the well-off
However, awareness is real, and it can be seen on the market. Altaprofits, as a broker, notes this: “Market figures clearly show that active people want to save on their ownwith the growth of the PER ». At the end of 2025, the retirement savings plan, which allows you to build up an annuity upon retirement in particular, exceeded 150 billion euros in assets and 12.9 million holders, up 20% over the year, according to Bercy and France Assureurs. The product has become the cornerstone of individual retirement savings.
Except that this success mainly benefits those who can save. “PER subscribers are wealthy populations. The less well-off categories, just as pessimistic about their standard of living in retirement, are counting on distribution because they have no choice”summarizes Catherine Baudeneau. The paradox is there: those who most need additional income are those who have the least means to create it.
For Catherine Baudeneau, the takeaway message is to start as early as possible, even if it means paying small amounts, in order to benefit from the snowball effect of interest. At Altaprofits, the average age at subscribing to the PER is 51 years old. However, a euro placed at 25 years old works much longer than a euro placed at 50 years old. “We are trying to make people understand that we should start preparing for retirement very early. Even with only 50 euros per month, that’s enough. But it has not yet entered practice”she laments.
