Average pension in 2026: how much retirees receive according to Rosstat
The average assigned pension in Russia in August 2026 was 25,469 rubles per month. A year earlier, in August 2025, it was 23,520 rubles, so the increase was 8.3%. Adjusted for price growth, the pension rose by 1.8%. The old‑age pension on average is higher, at 27,202.7 rubles on January 1, 2026, while the social pension is lower: 15,479.7 rubles. Below are the monthly figures, what can be bought with the pension, a comparison with the subsistence minimum, regions and the difference between men and women. All numbers are from Rosstat tables, each chart has an interactive version on roschart.ru.
What is the average pension in 2026 by month
Rosstat publishes the average size of the assigned pension for each month. In 2026 the series looks like this, rubles:
| Month | Average pension | Same month in 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| January | 25,255 | 23,175 |
| February | 25,262 | 23,229 |
| March | 25,275 | 23,238 |
| April | 25,398 | 23,448 |
| May | 25,400 | 23,453 |
| June | 25,402 | 23,455 |
| July | 25,402 | 23,457 |
| August | 25,469 | 23,520 |
On average for January–August 2026 the pension was 25,358 rubles, for the same months last year 23,372. The difference is 8.5%.
Almost all of the annual growth comes from January. In December 2025 the average pension was 23,538 rubles, in January it became 25,255: plus 1,717 rubles in one month, this is the indexation of insured pensions. Afterwards the amounts stay almost unchanged. In April it increased by 123 rubles: from April social pensions are indexed. In August another 67 rubles: this is a recalculation for those who continue to work. The full monthly table, together with 2025, is available on the pension dynamics dataset page.
What this means in practice. If the pension rose in January, another large increase before the next January should not be expected. And prices continue to rise during this time, so by autumn the same amount buys less.
How much the pension grew taking prices into account
Growth in rubles and growth in purchasing power are not the same thing. For the latter, Rosstat calculates the real size of the pension: how much it is larger than the previous year's, after subtracting the price increase of goods and services. In January 2026 the real size was 102.8% of January 2025, i.e. the pension outpaced prices by 2.8%. By August the buffer had shrunk to 1.8%.
The reason is visible in the table above: the pension changed hardly at all from February to July, while prices rose every month. By comparison, for the whole of 2025 the real size of the pension was 102.8%. You can calculate how much inflation ate away from any date in the inflation calculator.
Another measure: the pension as a percentage of the average salary. In January 2026 the average pension was 24.4% of the average accrued salary, in July 23.2%. For 2025 it was 23.0%. In other words, the pension is roughly four times smaller than the average salary, and this ratio has hardly shifted over the past year and a half.
Old-age, disability, social pensions
The average figure combines very different payments. Here is the average size by pension type on 1 January 2026:
- old-age: 27,202.7 rubles;
- survivor's (loss of breadwinner): 18,460.6 rubles;
- disability: 17,190.0 rubles;
- social: 15,479.7 rubles;
- federal civil servants: 39,268.2 rubles.
The old-age pension is larger than the social one by 11,723 rubles. The social pension is received by those who lacked the service length or points for an insurance pension, and its size does not depend on previous salary.
Over the past year the social pension grew faster than the others: from 13,512.0 to 15,479.7 rubles, a 14.6% increase. The old-age pension added 8.9%. A breakdown by all types is available in the dataset on the number of retirees and pension sizes.
What can be bought with an average pension
Rosstat calculates each year how many products can be bought with the average pension if it is spent entirely on a single item. Fresh data for 2024:
- 231.8 liters of milk;
- 1,813 chicken eggs;
- 95.6 kg of chicken;
- 21.3 kg of butter;
- 476.5 kg of potatoes.
Some supplies grow, some shrink. In 2023 the average pension could buy 2,170 eggs, a year later 357 fewer: eggs became more expensive faster than the pension. In 2021 one could buy 25.0 kg of butter, in 2024 only 21.3 kg. And sunflower oil, on the contrary, increased: 157.8 liters versus 152.0 liters a year earlier. The full list of half a hundred goods and services is on the page about pension purchasing power.
Average pension and subsistence minimum for pensioners
The subsistence minimum for pensioners in Russia for 2026 is 16,288 rubles. The average pension in August is 1.56 times higher.
Example of a family. As of January 1, 2026 the average pension for a woman is 25,204.9 rubles, for a man 25,353.3 rubles. A couple of pensioners with average pensions receives a total of 50,558 rubles per month. Two pensioners at the minimum need 32,576 rubles. The surplus is about 18 thousand, and it goes to what is not covered by the minimum: medicines above the norm, repairs, help for grandchildren.
With a social pension the picture is different. Its average size, 15,479.7 rubles, is 808 rubles below the Russian minimum. An unemployed pensioner with income below the minimum is entitled to a social allowance, but it is calculated from the minimum of his region, which varies widely: in Moscow 18,971 rubles, in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug 42,511 rubles. Details about the allowance are in the article on the pensioner's subsistence minimum, regions by minimum in the rating.
Pension for men and women, in the city and in the countryside
For a long time men received more. On 1 January 2018 the average pension for a man was 14,410.8 rubles, for a woman 12,783.3: a difference of 1,627 rubles. Since then the gap has closed. On 1 January 2025 women were ahead for the first time, and a year later men were slightly ahead again, but the difference was only 148 rubles.
The difference between city and countryside is more noticeable. For men in the city the average pension on 1 January 2026 was 26,207.5 rubles, in rural areas 22,497.6. That is 3,710 rubles per month. You can compare the rows by gender and place of residence on the dataset chart.
Average pension by region
Regional data are currently available for 2025. Across Russia the average pension for the year was 23,424.8 rubles. It is highest in the North and the Far East, where regional coefficients are added to the pension. In the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug it is 38,658.6 rubles, in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug 35,708.5, in Kamchatka Krai 34,506.7, in Magadan Oblast 34,287.4. It is lowest in the republics of the North Caucasus: in Dagestan 17,351.6, in Kabardino-Balkaria 17,771.1, in Ingushetia 18,221.0.
The difference between Chukotka and Dagestan is 2.2 times. The capitals are close to the national average: in St. Petersburg 25,470.0 rubles, in Moscow 24,935.6. All regions, together with the real pension amount, are in the regional dataset.
How many retirees work
On 1 January 2026 Russia had 40.5 million retirees, of whom 7.16 million were working, or 17.7%. Over the year the number of working retirees fell by 1,048 thousand. In 2017 almost every fourth retiree worked, 22.9%. How the share has changed can be seen on the dataset page about working retirees.
Questions and Answers
What is the average pension in Russia in 2026?
According to the latest Rosstat data, in August 2026 it was 25,469 rubles. On average for January–August it was 25,358 rubles.
How much did the pension increase in 2026?
In January the average pension rose from 23,538 to 25,255 rubles, a 7.3% increase by December. By August 2025 the increase was 8.3%, and taking prices into account 1.8%.
Why is my pension lower than the average?
The average includes high northern pensions, pensions of civil servants and pensions of people with long service. The social pension averages 15,479.7 rubles, the disability pension 17,190.0. In rural areas pensions are lower than in cities.
What is the average old‑age pension in 2026?
As of 1 January 2026 it was 27,202.7 rubles. That is 8.9% more than a year earlier.
Where is the highest pension in Russia?
In the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug: 38,658.6 rubles on average for 2025. Followed by the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Kamchatka Krai and Magadan Oblast.
In Brief
- The average pension in August 2026 was 25,469 rubles, 8.3% higher than a year ago.
- The main increase came in January: plus 1,717 rubles by December. Afterwards the pension hardly grew, and the buffer over prices fell from 2.8% to 1.8%.
- Old‑age pension 27,202.7 rubles, social pension 15,479.7, which is below the pensioner’s subsistence minimum (16,288 rubles).
- The gap between men’s and women’s pensions has almost disappeared; the gap between city and village remains about 3.7 thousand rubles.
- By region pensions differ by a factor of 2.2: from 17,351.6 rubles in Dagestan to 38,658.6 in Chukotka.
All figures are taken from Rosstat data published on roschart.ru.