In the UK, the proportion of pensioners with an income below half the average is said by the OECD to be 15.5 per cent. In Italy it is 11.3 per cent, in Germany 9.1 per cent, and in France 4.4 per cent.
This is hardly surprising since the state pension in the UK is one of the lowest in Western Europe. Comparisons are problematic, since pensions in other countries have varying contribution rates, but by most measures we lag significantly behind Germany, Italy, France and Spain. Mail.
