New pensions statistics

Statistics on new recipients of old-age provision benefits (new pensions statistics)

The new pensions statistics (NRS) is an exhaustive data collection that describes the number of new recipients of old-age pensions or lump-sum withdrawals from the Swiss old-age provision system. Data are available for all three pillars. In addition to the number of new recipients, the statistic also includes the amount of benefits paid.

Number of new recipients of benefits from the old-age provision system

In 2021, 223 900 people received at least one new benefit from the old-age provision system (excluding double counting). The gender ratio is relatively even with regard to old-age and survivors' insurance (OASI) retirement benefits. In contrast, considerably more men received a benefit from the 2nd or 3rd pillar than women. This difference can be explained by the fact that for family reasons, women are more likely than men to forego employment or to receive wages that fall below the threshold for paying into an occupational pension plan (PP). However, most recipients are married. In these cases, the household is generally an economic unit with the available financial means being divided essentially more equally between the genders than the benefits paid individually.

In 2021, 85% of all new OASI pensioners received their old-age pension at the legal retirement age. 9% received their OASI pension before the legal retirement age. In comparison to OASI, the first receipt of PP and pillar 3a benefits is handled more flexibly with 42% (PP pension), 42% (PP lump-sum), and 55% (pillar 3a lump-sum) of all new benefit recipients already receiving a retirement benefit before the legal retirement age in 2021. It must be noted that it is unknown how the employment status or the work quota of these persons changes at the time the benefit is received. In addition, no cohorts are considered, which means that the percentages given are not classic advance withdrawal rates.

New recipients of old-age provision benefits, 2021

	Pension		Lump-sum		Total2
	OASI	PP (PF and VBI)	PP (PF and VBI)	Pillar 3a
Total (all age groups)1	96 292	44 915	61 320	117 955	223 900
Men (all age groups)	46 956	25 752	34 974	67 544	120 103
Women (all age groups)	49 336	19 101	26 294	50 349	103 621
Men (before legal RA)	4 462	11 480	14 774	37 447	58 346
Women (before legal RA)	4 189	7 497	10 903	26 872	43 506
Men (legal RA)	39 812	12 596	13 924	19 867	43 514
Women (legal RA)	42 416	8 999	9 701	16 168	44 880
Men (after legal RA)	2 682	1 676	6 276	10 230	18 243
Women (after legal RA)	2 731	2 605	5 690	7 309	15 235

1) In addition to men and women, the total also includes persons whose gender is not specified.
2) This column indicates the totals of the beneficiaries per row, excluding double counting of persons and benefits.
Remarks:
OASI = old-age and survivors' insurance
PP = occupational pension plan
PF = pension funds
VBI = vested benefits institutions
RA = retirement age
Further remarks can be found in table T1 of the publication “Neurentenstatistik 2015 – Definitive Resultate im Überblick” (available in German, French and Italian). Source: FSO – New pensions statistics (NRS)
© FSO 2023

New OASI and occupational pension

The median new OASI pension was CHF 1809 per month in 2021. "Median" means that 50% of the persons received a higher pension and 50% a lower pension. The OASI pensions of people who received their pension before legal retirement age, were, as one would expect, somewhat lower than the pensions of those who received their pension at the age of 65 or 64 respectively.

The median monthly new occupational pension was CHF 1701 in 2021. For men, the monthly median pensions were highest among those who received their first pension before the legal retirement age of 65 (CHF 2595), followed by new recipients over the age of 65 (CHF 1948).  The monthly median pensions were lowest among the group of men who received their first pension at the legal retirement age of 65 (CHF 1800).

For women, in contrast, we observe a slightly different pattern. The highest monthly median pensions are received by those retiring after the legal retirement age (CHF 1415), followed by women retiring before the legal retirement age of 64 (CHF 1378). The lowest monthly median pensions are received by women at the legal retirement age (CHF 1032).

Lump-sum withdrawals from occupational pension plans and pillar 3a

If the different age groups are considered for PP lump-sum withdrawals, the trends slightly differ from those seen for PP pensions. Men making a lump-sum withdrawal prior to legal retirement age received the highest payments (CHF 170 316), followed by men with a lump-sum withdrawal at legal retirement age (CHF 158 770). The lowest lump-sum payments were made to men with a withdrawal after legal retirement age (CHF 134 952). In contrast, women making a lump-sum withdrawal after legal retirement age received the highest payments (CHF 66 383), followed by those receiving their lump-sum payments at the legal age of retirement (CHF 64 899). Women making a lump-sum withdrawal prior the legal age of retirement received the lowest payments (CHF 62 988).

In contrast to the PP, no particular differences can be seen between age groups for lump-sum withdrawals from the 3a pillar. They amounted to CHF 46 282 in 2021 (median).

New recipients of a retirement benefit from occupational pension funds, by combination of benefits and gender

In 2021, 44% of all new recipients of a retirement benefit from a pension fund received exclusively a new pension. 36% only received a lump-sum and 20% both a new pension and a lump-sum. With 50%, women received exclusively a pension more often that men (40%). In contrast, men more often received both a lump-sum and a new pension (24% compared with 14% of women).

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