Seniors with average pensions earn more than minimum wage earners. One report shows that on average retirees live on BGN 666.04, econ.bg reported.
This is 60.77 levs more than the net salary: 605.27 levs for half a million Bulgarians, who since 1 January have been insured at 780 levs, which is the minimum wage.
In 16 regions of the country the average pension exceeds the minimum wage. The richest are the pensioners of Sofia, where they receive about 823.98 levs.
They are followed by those of Burgas with BGN 746.85, which exceed BGN 700 only in three other districts: Pernik – BGN 724.11, Varna – BGN 708.50 and Stara Zagora – BGN 704.12.
For men, the average pension is 797.73 levs, and is second only in Kardzhali (597.97 levs), Silistra (602.34 levs) and Razgrad (600.45 levs). The average pension of a resident of Sofia is BGN 993.77 and that of a resident of Burgas is BGN 927.98.
Since January 1, the poverty line in our country has increased from BGN 413 to BGN 504. According to estimates by the Ministry of Social Affairs, approximately 665,454 out of a total of 2,033,988 retirees will receive below it.
Last year, some 306,000 Bulgarians received pensions below the poverty line. This means that the number of poor retirees will more than double.
The largest number of pensioners with minimal pensions is in Plovdiv – 39,034 people. Followed by Sofia with 38,912 people and Blagoevgrad with 23,238.
