Spain’s Elderly Take Pandemic Brunt as Registered Pensioners Fall Due to Higher Death Rates

SPAIN’S elderly have taken the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, as official government figures show that the number of registered pensioners has fallen in the first four months of the year.

The statistics released by the Employment Ministry show that over 205,000 pensioners had left official state registration between January and April of this year.

That compared to the same period in 2019 is a rise of over 30,000 and is being put down to the increased mortality rate amongst the older members of the population as a result of Covid-19.

As an average, the increase was around 25,000 higher than the figures levelled out between 2015 and 2019.

In a statement, the Employment Ministry said: “We need to take into overall account the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the population mortality rate, especially in regard to elderly people.”

Health authorities in Spain say that over 80 per cent of coronavirus deaths in the country have involved residents that are aged 70 plus.

There has also been a serious issue in regard to mortality rates at care homes.

One caveat on the government figures is that in Spain, pension numbers also factor in widows and orphaned children, as well as people that may have opted to take early retirement.

The annual changes in the statistics normally regard that 90 per cent of those who do not re-register in the state system are elderly people who have passed away.

Another point over the current data period is that due to the State of Alarm restrictions, a unknown number of people were unable to register pension rights.