Individuals on two-thirds pension surpass 48,000 mark

There were 1,188 more people who started receiving a two-thirds pension in the first three months of the year, the highest year-on-year increase, new figures show.

The National Statistics Office said there were now 48,235 people receiving the two-thirds pension, which accounted for an expenditure of €105 million, an increase of €4.3 million on last year.

The figures show that the country spent €229.7 million on social security benefits in the first three months of the year, a 2.6% increase on the same period last year.

The increase was the result of higher spending on contributory benefits, particularly retirement pensions.

Non-contributory outlay amounted to €47.7 million, 0.1% higher than 2018. These expenses include disability pensions and allowances and in-work benefits.

The largest share of non-contributory recipients was registered under children’s allowance (39,075), followed by supplementary assistance (23,078). The In-Work Benefit recorded the largest increase in beneficiaries with 618 more recipients while, conversely, the biggest drop was reported by the unemployment assistance taper (675).