Investment in pensions and social benefits continued to strengthen in the first six months of the year, reaching more than €946 million – the highest amount ever recorded in this period of the year.
According to figures published today by the National Statistics Office (NSO), investment in contributory and non-contributory benefits increased by €88.3 million compared to the same period in 2025. The largest increases were recorded in pensions and benefits aimed at families and the elderly.
Apart from the net increase of around 2,200 new contributory pensioners – who now total 100,173 – the main cause of this strong growth was the implementation of the majority of the social measures of Budget 2026 in the first half of the year.
In total, investment in contributory and non-contributory pensions, together with bonuses, reached around €730 million, which represents an increase of €62.4 million over the same period of the previous year. In addition, more than €11 million was paid to around 13,400 people – mostly women – who are not entitled to a pension due to lack of contributions.
The Minister for Social Policy and the Family, Michael Falzon, stated that these measures have significantly improved the income of pensioners. In addition to the €10 per week increase, adjustments have also been made to the pensions of those born before 1962 and widows. In addition, improvements have been made to the Cost of Living Bonus, which is paid separately with the pension, in order to remove the discrepancy in rates depending on the year in which the pension was paid.
Minister Falzon also mentioned the improvement in the pensions of married persons who used to receive a reduced pension due to the spouse’s pension. This difference has been removed, and thus these persons began to receive a higher pension.
Payments to families with children, the elderly and people on low or middle incomes increased by €21 million, to a total of over €127 million. This was a result of improvements in the rates of Children’s Allowance, the Birth and Adoption Bonus, the In-Work Benefit, the Supplementary Allowance, as well as the Grant for the Elderly. Another contribution was the Additional Cost of Living Benefit to over 100,000 families.
Minister Michael Falzon expressed his satisfaction that in the first half of the year, dependency on social assistance continued to decrease – both in the number of beneficiaries and in expenditure – while investment in social protection continued to grow sustainably. He concluded by thanking all the employees of the Department and the entire Ministry for their unwavering work.
File photo: Minister for Social Policy and the Family, Michael Falzon
