Statistical Press Release: Pensioners Income Series, Northern Ireland, 2003/04 Statistics

24 February 2006
STATISTICAL PRESS RELEASE: PENSIONERS INCOME SERIES, NORTHERN IRELAND, 2003/04 STATISTICS
Pensioners in Northern Ireland had lower average gross incomes than Great Britain, and the United Kingdom as a whole, in 2003/04.
This is one of the key findings in a report called "Pensioners' Income Series, Northern Ireland 2003-04.
Other key facts include:

From 2002/03 to 2003/04, gross income for all pensioner units grew by 4% for gross income, whilst net income before housing costs rose by 5% and net income after housing costs rose by 6%.

Occupational pensions and personal pensions were the fastest growing sources of pensioners' incomes between 2002/03 and 2003/04.

In 2003/04, pensioner couples on average had approximately twice the level of gross income that single pensioners had.

Older pensioners had lower incomes; and single male pensioners had a higher net income before housing costs than single female pensioners.

In 2003/04, almost all pensioner units received income from the State Pension or other National Insurance benefits in 2003/4, at an average of Ł112 per week.

Two-thirds of all pensioner units had some private income on top of state benefits however this comprised of four in five pensioner couples and three in five single pensioners.

Almost half of pensioner units (49%) had some investment income, although seven in ten pensioners in this group received only a maximum of Ł10 per week from it.

In 2003/04, older pensioner couples were less likely to be in the top fifth of the income distribution than younger pensioners.

Single female pensioners were more likely to be in the top fifth of the income distribution than single male pensioners.

Over a third of pensioners were in the top half of the overall population income distribution before housing costs.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:
1. The statistics contained in this publication are derived from the Family Resources Survey in Northern Ireland. The publication provides analyses of the weekly individual income of pensioners in Northern Ireland by source of income, marital type, and age.
2. Additional copies of this report are available of the Department's website: http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research

Click here to print this press release.