Prague, Dec 7 (CTK) – Seven percent of Czech old age pensioners, most often old ladies living alone, were threatened by income poverty in 2015, according to the annual report on pensions issued by the Czech Social Security Administration (CSSZ).
The income poverty line for a single person living alone was 10,220 crowns per month in the Czech Republic last year. For two people, the income poverty line was 15,330 crowns, according to the Czech Statistical Office (CSU).
One in 20 Czech old age pensioners suffered from material deprivation.
The monthly pension of half of Czech senior citizens was lower than 11,230 crowns. Ten percent of the lowest monthly pensions were under 8,522 crowns, while 10 percent of the highest pensions were above 14,379 crowns, the CSSZ writes.
The average monthly pension was 11,441 crowns at the end of September, or 93 crowns more than it had been nine months before.
Czech old people almost fully relied on their pensions, which represented 95 percent of their incomes.
In September 2016, there were 2.39 million old age pensioners in the country with a population of 10.56 million. At the end of 2015, 2.21 million old age pensioners lived in the country.
Pensions are increased in relation to the increase in real salaries and in commodity prices. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and Labour and Social Affairs Minister Michaela Marksova (Social Democrats, CSSD) were to discuss pensions yesterday, however, their talks were postponed for next week.
The Czech pension system is based on solidarity. Those who paid higher pension insurance from high salaries during their lives have only slightly higher pensions than those who had low salaries.
($1=25.191 crowns)
