DREAM / The Prime Minister resigns and wakes up under the Parisian bridge!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

"Thank goodness it's the children..."/ Only 1/3 of pensioners benefit from the largest pension increase

2025-11-18 20:30:35Biznes SHKRUAR NGA ESMERALDA TOPI
"Thank goodness it's the children..."/ Only 1/3 of pensioners
pensioner

After 12 years in power, the Socialists brought back the old electoral card of increasing pensions. 

"In Albania 2030, the average pension should be 400 euros for those who have paid full insurance, the minimum pension for everyone should be 200 euros." With this promise at the center of the campaign for the parliamentary elections, the Socialists secured 83 mandates. The commitment was also included in the governing program "Albania 2030".

A few months after the elections, with the start of discussions on the 2026 draft budget, Prime Minister Edi Rama published a video on social media, announcing the increase in pensions. Starting from January 2026, the increase, according to him, would be monthly and would be divided into categories.

"Thank goodness it's the children..."/ Only 1/3 of pensioners

And, according to Prime Minister Rama, these values ​​will double in 2027, triple in 2028 and quadruple in 2029, to reach the final objective of an average pension of 400 euros.

"Pancakes with water"

Faik Xhani is a former teacher from Mati who has led the Association of "Pensioners of Albania" for years. The 77-year-old knows well the problems of the class he represented.

"These are pocket parliamentarians, not servants of the people," says Xhani, as he shows us the minimum expenses a pensioner needs each month.

"Thank goodness it's the children..."/ Only 1/3 of pensioners

"The elderly are sick, they need money for medicine, for food, for electricity, water, telephone... They have forgotten what meat is. If the immigrants were alive, thank God there are children, because we would eat each other," the 77-year-old continues.

The Prime Minister, he adds, is "making pancakes with water" when referring to the announced pension increase. 

"If he doesn't give the end-of-year bonus, he's just pouring water on cabbages and doing nothing. Even indexation. If he gives all of this, it's good, not that it meets our needs, but it's something," the pensioner concludes.

Faik has 42 years of work, but the state rewards him with a partial pension of 17,000 lek each month.

How many pensioners are affected and who benefits the most?

Currently, the average urban pension is 19,409 lek, while the average rural pension is 11,709 lek. According to the government's commitment, by the end of 2029 the average full urban pension will reach 40,000 lek, while the minimum pension is expected to be 20,000 lek.

There are 745,137 pensioners in Albania. Of this total, only 287,656 of them receive full pensions, while another 343,763 are on partial pensions. Meanwhile, about 113,718 thousand are counted as family and disability pensions.

"Thank goodness it's the children..."/ Only 1/3 of pensioners
Source:ISSH

The urban pension category constitutes the largest group of pensioners in the country with 552,512 thousand elderly people. Of this group, only a portion benefits from the highest increase, those who have contributed with full years of work, i.e. over 38 years. 

241,431 are full urban pensions

311,081 are partial urban pensions

According to data provided by Faktoje.al, there are currently 241,000 pensioners with full years of work in the city, less than a third of the pensioners in the country. This is the category that will receive the increase of 1,800 lek per month or 21,600 lek per year.

Meanwhile, most pensioners, those with partial pensions, will only receive an additional 800 lek. A modest increase compared to inflation and the current level of pensions.

"The indexation and distribution mechanism of allowances focuses on a small group of beneficiaries, creating an illusory effect of progress, while the majority of pensioners are left with increases that have no measurable impact on their standard of living," argues economics and finance expert Eduard Gjokutaj for Faktoje.al.

In rural areas, the figures are lower. The total number of pensioners in the village is 87,907, of which 46,225 have full pensions and 32,682 have partial pensions. These people benefit from an increase of 1,000 lek.

“In practical terms, the plan does not ensure sustainable convergence towards the promised average pension and rewards only a minority, leaving the majority of the elderly with symbolic benefits,” concludes Gjokutaj.

cONcluSiON

While the promise of a gradual increase of up to four times creates the expectation of a major transformation, the data shows that the highest increase is benefiting the smallest portion of pensioners, while for others the increase remains symbolic.

Currently, the average urban pension is 19,409 lekë, while the average rural pension is 11,709 lekë.

400 euros is only accessible for full pensioners, who make up less than a third of pensioners in the country. For most elderly people, the value of "400 euros" remains unattainable./ Faktoje.al

Galeria fotografike (
)


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×