STATE pensions in Spain have reached an average of €900 a month for the first time in history – although this includes every type of pension, not just those for retirement which tend to be higher than the rest.
Widows', widowers', orphans', family, and permanent sick pensions are covered.
In April, the Social Security office reported having paid out €8.45 billion in contributory pensions, 3% more than in the same month of 2015, and that the average per head sits at €900.50.
These vary by region, but represent an annual increase of 1.88%.
Widows' and widowers' pensions are now a typical €636.34 per month, and for permanent disability, €928.74 a month.
Orphans' pensions come in at €373.73 and family pensions at €524.68.
Retirees in Spain have always had a more generous monthly pay than in the UK, since the culture of private pension provision among Spanish society is very new and maximum contributions are considerably lower.
But for those who manage to pay off their mortgages before giving up work and who have paid into the pot for the full amount of time, their average monthly income of €1,038.93 is very much a living wage and a few cents higher than the typical full-time worker earns.
Most of the pension pot went to retirees in April, being a total of nearly €6bn or a year-on-year increase of 3.6%.
Widows' and widowers' pensions made up the bulk of what was left, at nearly €1.5bn, up by 1.2%.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com