Current and future income adequacy in old age in the EU

Principle 15 of the European Pillar of Social Rights promotes the right to old age income and pensions. As outlined in the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, the EU supports national efforts to ensure adequate pensions and minimum income through EU legislation, EU funding, monitoring and analysis, as well as mutual learning activities. The 2021 Pension adequacy report, jointly prepared by the European Commission and the Social Protection Committee, provides a state of play of long-term care provision and key challenges across the EU.

Volume I examines the current living standards of older people, proceeds with an overview of recent pension reforms, analysing the main challenges to the adequacy of future pensions and concludes by looking into how pension systems share risks and resources between men and women and between different income groups and how pension financing is evolving.
Volume II comprises country profiles that provide a more detailed description of the pension system and pension adequacy in each of the 27 Member States.

Comments from the social partners and the civil society:
1.    AGE Platform Europe
2.    Joint Employer Associations

Technical annexes:
3.    Theoretical replacement rate methodology
4.    List of pension schemes used in the theoretical replacement rates

Check out the 2021 Pension adequacy report at a glance infographic 

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