The average pension in Russia has fallen below a quarter of the level of earnings and amounted to 23,000 rubles (245 euros) compared to nearly 100,000 rubles (1,065 euros), according to Rosstat data. This is the lowest ratio in the last 17 years — in the first half of this year, payments to elderly people reached only 24% of the average salary.
According to Russian media, compared to 2024, the figure has decreased by one percentage point, with the average pension in the first half of the year being exactly a quarter of earnings.
The last time the figure fell below 25% was in 2008, when the salary was at the level of 16,000 rubles (170 euros), and pensions were just under four thousand (42 euros).
The ratio of the average pension to earnings in Russia is significantly lower than the recommended level by the International Labour Organization — at least 40%.
In Latvia, the average salary in the second quarter of 2025 was 1,808 euros, while the pension in August 2025 was 627 euros. Thus, the average Latvian pension is 34.68% of the average salary, which also does not meet international standards. However, this figure is still better than the Russian one.
