Only 54% of British expat state pensioners have their payments from the government index-linked, according to new official figures.
Out of 1.2 million state pensioners overseas, 548,000 are not updated each year in line with any increase in the cost of living in Britain.
The increase for the rest – including state pensioners in the UK – is tied in to the ‘triple lock’ rule that guarantees the yearly increase as the least of any rise in the consumer price index, average earnings or 2.5%.
The data published by the Department of Work and Pensions also breaks down the number of expat state pensioners by age and country.
Australia is the most popular country with expat state pensioners, with 250,000 living there, with 14, 250 over 90 years old.
Where expat state pensioners live
Four of the countries with the highest numbers of British expat state pensioners do not have an agreement with the government to update pension payments – Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.
These nations account for 500,000 of all pensioners without index-linked state pensions.
In non-index-linked nations, the state pension is frozen at the amount of the first payment on retirement.
From 176 countries with at least one British expat collecting the state pension, 53 nations have agreements to index-link the payment.
| Expat State Pensioners - By Country of Residence | ||
|---|---|---|
| Country | Total | Indexed |
| Australia | 249,600 | N |
| Canada | 151,660 | N |
| USA | 140,000 | Y |
| Ireland | 133,000 | Y |
| Spain | 107,550 | Y |
| France | 63,310 | Y |
| New Zealand | 60,840 | N |
| Germany | 4,142 | Y |
| Italy | 38,240 | Y |
| South Africa | 37,190 | N |
| Cyprus | 18,630 | Y |
| Jamaica | 16,300 | Y |
| Netherlands | 12,240 | Y |
| Switzerland | 11,460 | Y |
| Portugal | 10,110 | Y |
| Jersey | 9,610 | Y |
| Abroad - Not known | 8,800 | Y |
| Guernsey | 6,150 | Y |
| Malta | 6,100 | Y |
| Greece | 5,820 | Y |
| Austria | 5,440 | Y |
| India | 5,340 | N |
| Belgium | 5,230 | Y |
| Sweden | 5,180 | Y |
| Israel | 5,070 | Y |
| Barbados | 4,990 | Y |
| Japan | 4,460 | N |
| Thailand | 4,040 | N |
| Pakistan | 3,970 | N |
| Norway | 3,690 | Y |
| Denmark | 3,150 | Y |
| Nigeria | 2,970 | N |
| Republic of Yemen | 2,610 | N |
| Philippines | 2,430 | Y |
| Hong Kong | 2,130 | N |
| Poland | 2,130 | Y |
| Bangladesh | 1,990 | N |
| Turkey | 1,890 | Y |
| Gibraltar | 1,660 | Y |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1,600 | N |
| Malaysia | 1,470 | N |
| Finland | 1,400 | Y |
| Zimbabwe | 1,310 | N |
| Grenada | 1,290 | N |
| St Lucia | 1,140 | N |
| Sri Lanka | 1,080 | N |
| Not yet recorded | 1,060 | N |
| Ghana | 930 | N |
| Bulgaria | 920 | Y |
| Hungary | 870 | Y |
| Mauritius | 850 | Y |
| Dominica | 840 | N |
| United Arab Emirates | 790 | N |
| Brazil | 750 | N |
| Bermuda | 740 | Y |
| Kenya | 740 | N |
| Singapore | 720 | N |
| St Vincents and Grenadines | 670 | N |
| Czech Republic | 560 | Y |
| Croatia | 550 | Y |
| Luxembourg | 540 | Y |
| Mexico | 460 | N |
| Alderney | 450 | Y |
| St Kitts/Nevis | 420 | N |
| Antigua | 410 | N |
| Serbia and Montenegro | 410 | Y |
| Monaco | 380 | N |
| Guyana | 350 | N |
| Egypt | 340 | N |
| Republic of Lithuania | 320 | Y |
| Chile | 300 | N |
| Bahamas | 300 | N |
| Argentina | 290 | N |
| China People's Republic | 290 | N |
| Indonesia | 290 | N |
| Republic of Slovenia | 280 | Y |
| Zambia | 220 | N |
| The Slovak Republic | 220 | Y |
| Colombia | 210 | N |
| Andorra | 200 | N |
| Latvia | 190 | Y |
| Cayman Islands | 190 | N |
| South Korea | 190 | N |
| Botswana | 180 | N |
| Seychelles | 170 | N |
| Morocco | 170 | N |
| Saudi Arabia | 170 | N |
| Oman | 150 | N |
| Bahrain | 150 | Y |
| Isle of Man | 140 | Y |
| Romania | 140 | Y |
| Peru | 130 | N |
| Fiji | 130 | N |
| Lebanon | 130 | N |
| Anguilla | 120 | N |
| Macedonia | 120 | Y |
| Montserrat | 110 | N |
| Russian Federation | 110 | N |
| Jordan | 110 | N |
| Malawi | 10 | N |
| Swaziland | 10 | N |
| Namibia | 10 | N |
| Tunisia | 10 | N |
| Ukraine | 9 | N |
| Iceland | 9 | Y |
| Costa Rica | 9 | N |
| Falkland Islands | 9 | N |
| Tanzania | 9 | N |
| Uganda | 9 | N |
| Belize | 9 | N |
| Qatar | 9 | N |
| Sierra Leone | 8 | N |
| Estonia | 8 | Y |
| Gambia | 8 | N |
| Virgin Islands (USA) | 8 | Y |
| Dominican Republic | 8 | N |
| St Helena | 8 | N |
| Ecuador | 8 | N |
| Sark | 7 | Y |
| Uruguay | 7 | N |
| Venezuela | 7 | N |
| Vietnam | 7 | N |
| Virgin Islands (British) | 6 | N |
| Taiwan | 6 | N |
| Panama | 6 | N |
| Antilles (Netherlands) | 5 | N |
| Kuwait | 5 | N |
| Liechtenstein | 5 | Y |
| Vanuatu | 4 | N |
| Bolivia | 4 | N |
| Kampuchea | 4 | N |
| Ethiopia | 4 | N |
| Iran | 4 | N |
| Nepal | 4 | N |
| French Overseas Departments | 3 | Y |
| Brunei | 3 | N |
| Bosnia Hercegovina | 3 | Y |
| Somalia | 3 | N |
| Djibouti | 2 | N |
| Individuals on Tour | 2 | N |
| Turks & Caicos Islands | 2 | N |
| Algeria | 2 | N |
| El Salvador | 2 | N |
| Guatemala | 2 | N |
| Macau | 2 | N |
| Paraguay | 2 | N |
| Puerto Rico | 2 | Y |
| Syria | 2 | N |
| Laos | 2 | N |
| Honduras | 2 | N |
| Cook Islands | 1 | N |
| Norfolk Island | 1 | N |
| Papua New Guinea | 1 | N |
| Western Samoa | 1 | N |
| Ascension Island | 1 | N |
| Burma (Myanmar) | 1 | N |
| Lesotho | 1 | N |
| Libya | 1 | N |
| Tonga | 1 | N |
| Cape Verde Islands | 1 | N |
| Armenia | 1 | N |
| Belarus | 1 | N |
| Azerbaijan | 1 | N |
| Georgia | 1 | N |
| Albania | 1 | N |
| Faroe Islands | 1 | N |
| Cameroon | 1 | N |
| Cuba | 1 | N |
| Iraq | 1 | N |
| Malagasy Republic | 1 | N |
| Mozambique | 1 | N |
| New Caledonia | 1 | N |
| Nicaragua | 1 | N |
| Senegal | 1 | N |
| Togo | 1 | N |
| Tahiti | 1 | N |
| Total | 1,189,197 | |
| Source: Department of Work and Pensions | ||
There is a minor error in the article where it states “In non-indexed countries the State pension is frozen at the amount of the first payment on retirement”. In fact it will be frozen at the amount of the first payment made in the host country after retirement…this may not be one and the same.
It is, I think, important to appreciate that of the countries where index linking is associated with an agreement – as opposed to compliance with the European Convention of Human Rights – include some of the ıslands in the West Indies, for example Jamaica and Barbados but pensions are frozen in Trinidad; pensions frozen in the UK Virgin Islands but not in the USA Virgin Islands. This is totally illogical and how index linkıng can be applied to the pensions of 8,800 pensioners “abroad – not known” is baffling.
Under a Freedom of Information disclosure in March 2013 the DWP confirmed that such agreements were not necessary in order to achieve universal uprating; the UK government could index unilaterally world wide if it so wished.
In the House of Lords in March this year the Minister, Lord David Freud, in reply to a question raised by Dame Floella Benjamin said “Bluntly, it is all about money” and thereby confirmed what was already known – the reasons promoted by successive governments were without foundation and mere baseless excuses. Of course, as has been stated by Juliane Kokott, Judge Advocate General at the European Court, “It should be realised that budgetary constraints are not justification for discrimination”
Her Majesty the Queen signed the Commonwealth Charter in which it declares “we are implacably opposed to discrimination on any grounds”.
It is to be hoped that the incoming government takes heed. .
Well said Andy Robertson-Fox and you are correct in your comments.
Of course, your last line leads to my comment that – “There are none so deaf as those that will not hear”
The politicians know full well that they and only they are responsible for this situation and have not yet had the integrity or morality to face the reality of the problem of their own making.
Whatever has been said and done in the past is irrelevant anyway as discrimination has no place in a democracy and they know it.
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