The number of retired people and the pensions they are drawing are both on the rise in Italy, national statistics bureau Istat confirmed on Thursday.
In its report on 2004, Istat reported a 1.2% increase in the number of retirees over the previous year while their reported income climbed 5.5% from 2003. The average income of retired men was put at 14,946 euros in 2004, while women collected 10,444 euros.
However, there was a greater number of women collecting pensions than men.
According to Istat, 68.8% of retired people draw only one pension, while 20.4% have two and 7.2% can count on three or more.
The report also found that in 2004 there were 72 retired people for every 100 people still working. This ratio changed from a geographic point of view hitting 78 to 100 in the south and falling to 69 to 100 in the north.
The relative majority of retired people, 47.3%, live in the north, 30.1% in the south and the islands and only 19.5% in central Italy, while 510,000 Italians have drawing their pensions from abroad, Istat said. In 2004, 67.6% of retired people in Italy were 65 years of age or older and 18.6% were over 79. Istat found that 28.8% of retirees were between 40 and the traditional retirement age of 64, while 3.6% were even under 40.
