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A Quarter Of All Elderly People In Malta Are At Risk Of Falling Below Poverty Line

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More than a quarter of all people in Malta aged 65 and over are at risk of falling beneath the poverty line, that’s around 23,400 people, figures provided by the National Statistics Office have revealed.

A severe income disparity is also apparent in the figures, with 20% of the highest income earners over 65 earning three times as much as the lowest 20%, with questions surrounding the ever-increasing cost of living bubbling to the surface.

According to official documents, anyone who earns below €8,868 falls beneath the at-risk-of-poverty line. 

Despite the figures, an EU survey found that the majority of people in the 65+ age group and still lived at home were highly satisfied with their life, with close 60% saying they never felt lonely or depressed.

However, 4% of respondents said that they are perpetually lonely, while around 7% often felt depressed.

The NSO figures, which were released on the UN’s International Day of Older Persons, also found that there are 92,180 people aged above 65, a growth of roughly 34,000 over the past decade.

Life expectancy has also increased in that period, jumping up by two years in 2018.

The increase is also reflected in government spending, with expenses on retirement and old-age pensions amounting to €560 million, almost 5% more than 2017.

READ NEXT: 80,000 People In Malta Are At Risk Of Falling Below Poverty Line

Julian is the former editor of Lovin Malta and has a particular interest in politics, the environment, social issues, and human interest stories.

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