Pensioners (those aged 65 years and above) comprise almost 12% of the population of the Republic of Ireland. However, they are far from a homogeneous group, differing by health, wealth, income and marital status among other things. A new NERI Research inBrief, examines pensioners under just one of these headings – income.
The research finds that, for the most part, pensioners sit in the middle of the income distribution (above the bottom 20% but below the top 40%). Overall, 60% of pensioners are in the bottom half of the income distribution while 40% are in the top half.
It is useful to know where pensioners are in the income distribution given considerations of policy changes to areas such as taxes, pensions and free or subsidised public services.
An NERI Research inBrief entitled 'Where are Pensioners in the Income Distribution?' is available here.