In June alone, Social Security has had to spend more than double the amount the state devotes to the defence budget over the course of a whole year. In total, €25,171.5 million was spent on the payment of contributory pensions, as the €12,751.5 million paid out each month were added to the €12,420 million needed to pay the extra summer salary.
The €25,171 million that the June payments have meant is four times what was paid in 2005 (€6,368 million) or double the €12,775 million paid in June 2015. As the annual revaluation consolidates, the rate of growth doubled in 2023 with the 8.5% update applied by the government. Thus, the current volume of the State’s obligations to pensioners has doubled this month the annual budget for defence spending (€12,316 million); or R&D (€10,449 million, according to the latest accounts) and exceeds by far all public unemployment coverage (€21,277 million).
According to yesterday’s announcement by Elma Saiz’s Ministry, the average pension in June was €1,254.6, 5% more than a year ago. This average corresponds to the amount of the different types of pension (retirement, permanent disability, widowhood, orphanhood and in favour of family members). Meanwhile, the extra pay, which is received by more than 10.1 million pensioners, averaged €1,224.6, 4.9% more than on the same date last year.
The average retirement pension reached €1,441.8; while the pension of employees in the general scheme, the most common, exceeded €1,600 for the first time, standing at €1,601 per month, while the lowest was that of the self-employed, at €962.8.
