Gross monthly amount per pensioner of direct pensions in France 2004-2021

In 2021, a retiree in France would receive a monthly gross pension of 1,488 euros worth of pension. Since the mid-2000s, this average gross amount of pensions per retiree of direct pensions, excluding the child surcharge, has increased. This number represented an increase compared to 2004, when the average amount was about 1,080 euros. However, a majority of French declared in 2023 that they were afraid of not getting enough money to live properly when they retire.

Fear of precarity in retirement

The pension level seemed low when compared to the general income level in France. In 2019, most of French citizens declared earning between 1,500 and 1,999 euros.

Retirement in France

France has different divisions of pensions, with one mandatory pension provision based on intergenerational solidarity. The economically active labor force finances pensions by their social security contributions. In 2017, the total value of retirement pension benefits paid in France to compulsory schemes amounted to 311.2 billion euros. Nevertheless, public spending on pensions is expected to decrease for the upcoming years, while the majority of French people are rather dissatisfied by the pension system of their country. Only 46 percent of French relied on the government plans for their retirement, as opposed to 66 percent of Spanish and 53 percent of German.