Pensions likely to rise about 3% from September 2026
Projection based on June wage data and first-half inflation points to about 2.96% — final rate to be set officially.
Retirees in North Macedonia can expect a rise in their September 2026 pensions of roughly three percent according to calculations based on newly released data from the State Statistical Office. The estimated increase is a projection and the precise percentage will be set officially by the competent institutions.
Key inputs for the statutory pension adjustment are now available: the movement of the average wage and the change in living costs. The State Statistical Office reports that the average monthly net wage in June reached 48,381 denars, which is 6.4 percent higher than in the same month last year.
How the formula works and the projected outcome
For the first half of 2026 the average wage (January–June) was about 47,986 denars, representing an increase of approximately 4.75 percent compared with the average in the second half of 2025. At the same time, average living costs in the first six months rose by about 1.17 percent compared with the previous six-month period.
The law requires that pension indexation use both indicators equally — 50 percent of the wage growth and 50 percent of the rise in living costs. Applying that formula to the available figures yields a projected pension increase of roughly 2.96 percent.
In practical terms, if that projection is confirmed: a pension of 20,000 denars would increase by about 592 denars to approximately 20,592 denars; a 30,000-denar pension would rise by around 888 denars to roughly 30,888 denars; and a 40,000-denar pension would gain about 1,184 denars, reaching close to 41,184 denars. If authorities round the rate to 3.00 percent, the increases simplify to roughly 600, 900 and 1,200 denars respectively.
Unlike previous flat-sum adjustments that added the same amount to every pension, a percentage indexation means the absolute denar increase will be larger for higher pensions and smaller for lower pensions. The final figure for the September adjustment must be formally determined by the relevant institutions; until then the 2.96 percent remains a statistical projection based on current data.
Photo: press material from the event
