The government of Ukraine has planned an increase in pension payments for the next year. A detailed analysis of the upcoming changes and the current state of the pension system is reported by RBC-Ukraine.
Government plans for 2026
The state budget draft for 2026 provides over 1 trillion hryvnias for pensions. This is the largest social expenditure item. From January 1, the minimum pension is planned to be increased by 234 hryvnias – to 2595 UAH. Indexation of pensions for all recipients is expected to occur from March 1, and the exact percentage will be determined by the government later.
Real pension figures in Ukraine
As of October 2025, the average pension in Ukraine is nearly 6500 hryvnias. However, this figure does not reflect the real picture:
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More than half of pensioners receive less than 5000 hryvnias.
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Only 15% of pensioners have payments exceeding 10000 UAH.
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The actual subsistence minimum is significantly higher than the average pension.
There is also a significant regional difference: the highest pensions are in Kyiv (8848 UAH), while the lowest are in western regions, where they barely reach 5000 UAH.
Why Ukrainian pensions are among the lowest in Europe
In euro terms, the average Ukrainian pension is only about 133 euros. In comparison, in neighboring Poland, this amount reaches 800-900 euros. Experts cite two key reasons for this situation:
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High level of the shadow economy, due to which the Pension Fund loses over 350 billion hryvnias each year.
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Unequal system of payment of the unified social contribution, which is charged only on incomes up to 100 thousand hryvnias per month, regardless of actual earnings.
As economist Oleg Pendzin notes, when a person formally receives a minimum wage while actually having a high salary, their future pension will still be minimal. Thus, the planned increase does not address systemic problems, and Ukrainian pensioners continue to remain one of the most vulnerable segments of the population.