Two fifths of all pension beneficiaries aged between 50 and 69 said they had retired before actually reaching retirement age, according to the National Statistics Office.

The mean age at which people started receiving a pension last year was 57.

In fact, 22 per cent of those aged 50 to 59 were pension beneficiaries in 2012, as well as 65 per cent of those aged 60 to 64 and 73 per cent of persons aged 65 to 69.

This means more than a third of those aged between 50 and 69 received a pension last year.

Of those aged between 50 and 69 who were employed, only 13 ­­­per cent received a pension.

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