Researchers estimate how much a retiree needs to ‘live decently’ in France
The amount should cover basics and a social life, the study says
The study defined “decent life” as more than covering the essentials; it also allowed enough to enable the retiree to have a social life
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The minimum amount that a retired person in France needs to have a “decent life” has been calculated. It does not include mortgage or rent payments.
The required amount is €1,634 net per month for a person living alone, according to the Institut de recherches économiques et sociales (IRES).
The study defined “decent life” as more than covering the essentials; it also allowed enough to enable the retiree to have a social life and be involved in the local community.
Overall, the amount included food, transport, medical care, and other daily necessities. However, the total did not include any spending on mortgage payments or rent, as it worked on the principle that most retirees own their home.
Note that in France there is no universal state pension level. People receive a pension amount usually as a percentage of their 25 best-paid years of working.
Yet, a 2021 study by the Ministry of Social Affairs found that 17 million pensioners live on €1,531 per month - less than the minimum amount needed for a decent life, according to the IRES. The ministry study found that some are living on even less; as little as €917.76 per month. This would put them under the poverty line of €1,102 per month.
The amount a pensioner receives also depends on factors such as:
Men are also more likely to receive a higher pension than women, largely because they are still more likely to have more years of higher-paid, uninterrupted work over the course of their working lives.
Pensions in France
The minimum pension age is currently an issue in France.
In 2023, the government changed the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64, changing to this at the rate of three months per year to 2030. This provoked mass protests and strikes nationwide, and the government eventually used the overriding article 49.3 to force the measure through parliament.
Statistics from 2022 show that French people (men and women) retire on average aged 62 years and four months.
They also show that the 16.4 million French retirees living in France then received pension income on average of €1,400 net per month - slightly higher than the then-minimum wage (SMIC) of €1,353.07 net.
Currently, the minimum wage is €1,801.80 gross per month.
A report in 2024 found that retirees need at least €15,000 per year net (€1,250 per month) to live with dignity, and added that the costs of goods and services used by this demographic had increased by 20% in the previous five years.
Yet, Connexion readers have told us that the amount they need to live well as retirees in France varies considerably.
One said they needed €50,000 per year, while another said that the above calculations were closer to their income and expenditure, except that they still had a mortgage to pay, so in reality they needed substantially more.
