Almost 31,000 pensioners died this year before the pension payments in September. That is 1,810 more than in the same period last year. On average, they had been drawing a pension for 20 years and were living on just 476 euros.

Two thirds of the 2024 deceased received an old-age pension, while one in four received a family pension.

According to the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute, almost 31,000 pensioners had died by the end of August this year. As the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute.hr reports, 30,950 pensioners lost their pension entitlement before the payments in September 2024.

The number of monthly deaths is higher than last year

There were 1,810 more deaths of pensioners than in the same period last year, when 29,140 deaths were recorded. However, the figure is still better than in 2021 and 2022, when the pandemic caused a record number of deaths among the elderly population. In each of those two years, around 35,700 pensioners died, almost 5,000 more than in the same period this year.

In the previous month alone, around 1,200 more pensioners died than at the same time last year, and this trend has continued. Mortality in the summer months was also record-breaking in July: 4,509 deaths were recorded in Croatia, which is 13% more than last year. Furthermore, there are currently around 1,100 more deaths than new pensioners in 2024.

The average pension of the deceased was only 476 euros

The average pension of deceased pensioners was just 476 euros. Most of those who died this year, around 67%, received an old-age pension — 20,838 people with an average pension of 486 euros. On average, they had received a pension for almost 22 years, with women living almost seven years longer than men.

The deceased women had been drawing a pension for 25 years and nine months, the men for 19 years. Every fourth deceased person received a family pension — 7,613 people with an average pension of 452 euros.

A further 2,499, i.e. around 8% of the deceased, received a disability pension, which averaged 465 euros. On average, the disability pensions were drawn for almost 20 years, while the family pensions were drawn for around 18 years.