YEREVAN. – In 2014, an average retirement pension in Armenia will rise to 36 thousand drams (by 13 percent), Deputy Finance Minister said.

Pavel Safaryan on Friday presented to the lawmakers the social costs envisaged by the draft budget for 2014.

He noted that due to the intention of the government to increase pensions in 2014 by 15 percent, the average retirement pension will be increased from 31,300 in 2013 to 36,000.

Total expenditure on retirement pensions in 2014 will increase by 16.8 percent as compared withh the plan for 2013. As the Deputy Minister this is due to both the increase of pensions, and the increase in the number of pensioners over the past year from 445 to 452 thousand.