By S. Papapetros
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Pensioners in Greece between the ages of 56 and 65 receive, on average, the highest monthly benefits, and specifically 1,051 euros for the ages of 56 to 60 and 1,116.48 euros for the ages of 61 to 65.
Moreover, a large portion of pensioners in this category are retired employees of Greece's cavernous public sector, especially state-run utilities, such the one-time telephony monopoly (OTE) and power company (PPC), as well as previously state-run banks.
The specific age group benefitted from the most favorable conditions allocated under Greece's social security system until the punishing economic crisis erupted in late 2009, which witnessed three successive bailout memorandums and radical - by Greek standards - reforms to the once spendthrift pension sector.
Retirement ages in the mid-50s were not uncommon for employees of state-run utilities, agencies and organizations up until 2010, whereas one of the more egregious examples of Greece's social security system during previous decades was the right of women employed in the public sector, with one child under the age of 18, to retire with an early - albeit small - pension.
Overall, according to data supplied by the labor ministry's platform, the average primary pension in Greece reaches 723.23 euros per month; the average primary pension when reaching the age of 65 total 819.31 euros; the average bereavement pension is 438.16 euros and the average disability pension is 486.84 euros per month.
Finally, the average monthly supplementary pension is 172.11 euros.
