Via Copenhagen Post:
Figures show a worrying trend for poverty amongst the elderly
Out of the capital’s 561 pensioners who live in “serious poverty”, 482 have an immigrant background, according to new figures from the City Council.
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While only 1.1 percent of ethnic Danish pensioners live in poverty, the figure for their immigrant counterparts is a full 27.4 percent, according to new ECLM figures, based on the OECD's poverty line definition of 50 percent of the country's median income.
Older immigrant’s poverty problems stem from a regulation requiring individuals to be in Denmark for 40 years before collecting a pension. During the first ten years of residence, of which at least five years must be spent here before turning 60, there is no possibility of earning a state pension.
The city’s deputy mayor for social affairs, Mikkel Warming, said the state pension for immigrants was too low, and that it was wrong to deny pensions to people who come to Denmark after having turned 65.
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“Many elderly immigrants live lonely lives with their own language,” he said. “Their children and grandchildren are being integrated into society and may not be as close to their elderly relatives as one might think. This is more than simply a question of finances. It is a significant social and humane problem.”
(source)
