Kyrgyzstan not going to increase retirement age

16:27, 14 февраля 2022, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Anastasia BENGARD

The general retirement age will not be increased in Kyrgyzstan, but all categories of persons entitled to benefits will be reviewed. Gulnura Dzhumataeva, Deputy Chairwoman of the Social Fund, announced live on Kaktus.media today.

Women currently retire at 58, men — at 63, she said.

«According to world practice, this is the average retirement age. But there are certain categories of citizens who retire early. We analyzed the data, every second among the newly appointed is a benefit holder. For example, men living and working in highlands retire eight years earlier, that is, at 55, and women — at 45. This is what most people use today, while they continue to work. It is good to receive a salary and a pension, but because of this, the entire fund is suffering,» Gulnura Dzhumataeva said.

She noted that such people have a pension below the average, since they were supposed to work for another 8-10 years. «After several indexations, it will certainly increase. Reduction in the number of benefit holders has been discussed for a long time; in 2018 a working group was created, which has just finished its work, the coronavirus pandemic influenced it. We offer them to retire not at 45, but at 48. After all, life expectancy is growing even in highlands. These benefits have remained since Soviet times,» the Deputy Chairwoman of the Social Fund said, noting that discontent among citizens is expected.

«There is already rejection. We will travel around the regions and explain. This is proposed in the form of a strategy so far, we start to voice it in the Parliament, but there is no bill yet. If we do not do this now, then there may be risks of financial insolvency in a few years,» Gulnura Dzhumataeva stressed.

There are currently 715,000 pensioners in Kyrgyzstan.