The Social Security allocated in December the record high of 9.759,8 million euros to payment of contributory pensions, 4.7% more than in the same month of 2018, according to data published this Friday by the Ministry of Labour, Migration and Social Security, which has highlighted that the expenditure growth has been moderating" since the start of the year, from around 7% in the first half of the year.

The greater part of 9.759 million euros, destined to pay the payroll of the pension in December was to stop the pension of retirement, with almost 6.963 million euros (+4.9 per cent), followed by the widow's pensions, to which were devoted to 1.692 million euros (+5,05%). The payment of permanent disability pensions was allocated in December 941 million euros (+3,3%), the orphan's supposed to 137.9 million euros (+3.6%) and the pension in favour of family members totaled 24.9 million euros (+5.9%).

The number of pensions moved in December to a 1.01 per cent compared with the same month in 2018, up 9.801.379 pensions, a new record for the system. The Ministry has highlighted that this is the lowest increase of the last few years. Although the rate of growth year-on-year number of pensions is not of the highest within the historical series of the last decade, with it already accumulated 47 consecutive months of growth above 1%.

Of the total of pension, more than half, 6.089.294, were retirement pensions, with a rise to 1.58% compared to December of 2018, the lowest rate in two years. For its part, 2.366.788 pensions were widowhood (+0,05%), 962.035 of permanent disability (+0,71%), 340.106 of orphanhood (both+0.5%), and 43.156 in favor of family members (+2,07%).

Work has insisted that progress year-on-year in the number of pensions are going moderating. Thus, the new high-retirement pension amounted to November (last available data) a total of 281.929, 8.8% less than in the same period of 2018.

Upload the average pension

The rise in pensions this year (+1,6% in general) has also driven the rise in the average amounts of the benefits. Thus, the average pension for retirement is placed at the beginning of this month in 1.143,55 euros per month, 3.3% more than in the same month of 2018. In regards to the new high, the average pension retirement (October) is of 1,291,91 euros in the system as a whole and 1,406,7 euros in the General Regime.

For its part, the average pension of the system, which includes different kinds of pension (retirement, permanent disability, widowhood, orphanhood and for family members) stood in December in 995,76 euros per month, representing a year-onyear increase of 3.6%.

The average pension of widows, for its part, has registered the most progress year-on-year in the relative values, a 5% to 714,9 euros monthly, following the rise of the regulatory base, on which it is calculated this feature from the 56% to 60%.

in Addition, the pension permanent disability reached in December, an average amount of 978,4 euros per month, with a yearon-year increase of 2.5%. For its part, the average pension orphan's pension amounted to 405,54 euros per month, 3.1% more than in December of 2018, while the favor of relatives stood at 579,25 euros per month, with a rise of 3.7%.

Work has highlighted that the number of members for every pensioner was in November (last data published) in a mean ratio 2.33.