![\"Greece](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/pensioners2.jpg\")
Pensioners demonstrating in Athens. File photo. Credit: AMNA<\/p>\nPensioners demonstrating in Athens. File photo. Credit: AMNA<\/p>\n
Greece<\/a>\u2019s ongoing pension crisis is worsening, with new data revealing a significant decline in average pension values. According to the Helios system, the average main pension for July was just under \u20ac800 gross, a decrease from previous years.<\/p>\n This decline highlights the severe financial strain on pensioners and underscores the urgent need for reforms.<\/p>\n The average main pension in July 2025 was \u20ac783 gross, a notable drop from \u20ac821.99 a year prior. This decline is even more pronounced for newly issued pensions, which stood at an average of just \u20ac776.12 gross in July.<\/p>\n This situation helps explain why 13.6 percent of Greece\u2019s population, including many pensioners, are at risk of poverty, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority<\/a> (ELSTAT).<\/p>\n Related: Close to 3 Million Greeks on the Brink of Poverty, Eurostat Says<\/a><\/p>\n Pensions in Greece and economic factors<\/p>\n A major factor contributing to these low pension levels is the Katrougalos Law of 2016<\/a>, which introduced low replacement rates for new retirees. This has led to nearly 200,000 new pensioners annually receiving particularly low benefits.<\/p>\n A stark contrast is visible between the average new main pension in the private sector (\u20ac776.12 gross) and the public sector (\u20ac1,226.74 gross).<\/p>\n The crisis is also the result of a confluence of long-term economic issues:<\/p>\n