The retirement pension is subject to many debates in France. But what about other European countries? Are they better off than France?
The pension system is a subject that crystallizes tensions in France. But where are the other European countries? Are we better lotis than our neighbors or do they have nothing to envy?
The retirement pension is the main source of income for the elderly in Europe, according to an OECD report dating from 2023. It is therefore not surprising that the subject ready for debate. According to data collected by Eurostat, the average amount of retirement pension collected in Europe amounts to 16.138 euros per year.
But where is France in relation to this average? France is placed in 13th position in the classification of European countries, with a retirement pension of 18.855 euros per year and slightly higher than the European average, therefore. As for the most badly loti European country, it is Albania. This state located in the Balkan peninsula offers a retirement pension which amounts to an average of only 1648 euros per year. A very low sum, even when we take into account the cost of living, less substantial than in France for example.
But what are the countries with the most advantageous pension system according to this study? In third position, it is Denmark that we find on the podium with an average of 30.879 euros per year, preceded by Luxembourg, the average of which amounts to 31.835 euros per year.
But what is the country with the highest retirement pension in Europe? It is Iceland which is widely ahead of the others, with an average of 35.959 euros per year. Note, however, that the cost of living is 43 % higher than in France according to Ouest-France. For example, the average rent of an apartment from a room in the city center, in Reykjavik, revolves around 1900 euros.
Overall, the Nordic countries are the best lotis in Europe with regard to the retirement pension, unlike Eastern Europe and the Balkans which are, largely, among the last of this ranking. We note, moreover, that the gap is considerable in Europe between the average amount of the lowest pension, in Albania (1648 euros) and that of Iceland, which is almost 34,000 euros more.
