Average pension rises to 2,942 RON, but the number of pensioners continues to fall

The average monthly pension in Romania reached 2,942 RON in the second quarter of 2026, up 0.3% from the previous quarter, according to the latest data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). During the same period, the total number of pensioners continued to fall, reaching 4.913 million people – 7,000 fewer than in Q1 2026 and 5,000 fewer than in Q2 2025.

How much pensions actually increased, and what inflation figures show

In the public state social insurance system, which covers 4.573 million beneficiaries, the average gross pension was 2,821 RON, whilst the net pension stood at 2,700 RON. The ratio of the net old-age pension to the average net wage in the economy fell to 52.5%, down from 57.9% in the previous quarter. Furthermore, the real average pension index stood at 98.1%, indicating that the nominal increase did not fully offset the rise in prices.

A breakdown of the pensioner population

The vast majority of pensioners in the social insurance system (80.7%) receive an old-age pension. The remainder are distributed as follows:

• Survivor's pensions: 9.6%
• Disability pensions: 8.0%
• Early and partial early pensions: 1.6%

Women account for 55% of old-age pensioners, representing approximately 2.17 million people. However, the average old-age pension received by women amounts to just 63% of that received by men. The largest gap is found in early pensions, where women receive only 60.8% of the amount received by men. The smallest disparity occurs in grade II disability pensions: 1,061 RON for women, compared to 1,310 RON for men.

Stark disparities between counties

At national level, the average is 8 pensioners for every 10 employees, but the situation varies considerably from one region to another:

• București and Ilfov: 4 pensioners for every 10 employees
• Teleorman: 15 pensioners for every 10 employees
• Vaslui: 14 pensioners for every 10 employees

The gap between the lowest and highest average pension in the country reaches 1,350 RON. The lowest values were recorded in Botoșani (2,229 RON), Vrancea (2,274 RON), and Vaslui (2,285 RON), whilst the highest average pensions are found in București (3,579 RON), Hunedoara (3,498 RON), and Brașov (3,331 RON).

Nearly 886,000 people receiving the minimum guaranteed social allowance

In the second quarter of 2026, 885,900 people received the minimum guaranteed social allowance. Of these:

• 844,100 people are from the state social insurance system, representing 18.5% of all pensioners within this system
• 37,900 people are former agricultural workers, accounting for 35.5% of agricultural pensioners
• 3,900 people are from the military pension system, representing 1.7% of military pensioners