Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

‘Asian pensioners need help to avoid slipping into poverty’

Campaigners say minorities are unaware of or reluctant to seek available help

‘Asian pensioners need help to avoid slipping into poverty’

URGENT action needs to be taken to prevent more Asian elderly people being plunged into poverty, charities and MPs have urged.

They have also backed calls to raise the state pension amount further, to lower the threshold for auto-enrolment in workplace pension schemes and for more education for workers of south Asian origin nearing retirement about saving for their future.


Some 33 per cent of Asian pensioners are in poverty, double the proportion of their white counterparts, according to data from charity Age UK.

Overall, in 2020-2021, between 1.4 and 2.1 million pensioners were in poverty.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, told Eastern Eye, “It’s sad to realise that the burden of poverty in old age is falling disproportionately on black and Asian older people in our society.

“For their sake and, indeed, for the sake of anyone forced to scrimp and save in their later years, we should do everything possible to raise their incomes, so they can enjoy the dignified and comfortable retirement they deserve.

“Extra help is available to top up the incomes of pensioners who live on the lowest incomes, but much of it goes begging every year because many never claim what is rightfully theirs.

“It’s especially important to claim Pension Credit, because once gained it entitles you to other forms of financial help – but you have to fill in a form and ask for it.”

The current full state pension in the UK is £185.15 per week, which will increase to £204 a week from April this year.

Men eligible have to be born on or after April 6, 1951, while a woman has to be born on or after April 6, 1953.

Caroline Caroline Abrahams (Photo: LinkedIn)

Abrahams added: “There are many reasons why older people don’t claim, including not knowing they can, being put off by the long form, or being worried about disclosing personal information.

“We also know some older people believe there is always someone worse off than they are, or that there is something shameful about asking for this financial support. However, it’s important to remember this money is your right if you qualify, and if you make a successful claim it can make a really big difference to your quality of life.”

Ali, who is in his 60s, said he is struggling to get by financially before he reaches state pension age.

He told Age UK: “I am on a small pension, having taken early retirement due to disability.

“I was already having to spend savings to meet everyday costs, now my life savings, saved to mend my property which is very old and needs substantial repairs such as hot water and heating, is dwindling rapidly.

“I worry I will never live in a home with hot water again.”

Ramesh Varma Ramesh Varma

Ramesh Verma, the founder of the Ekta Project charity supporting Asian elders in London and a member of Age UK’s advisory panel, told Eastern Eye, “When I asked my members about pensions, they said no.

“Employers never used to tell them in the factories, some didn’t speak English,” she said. “Now they are dependent on their children for money. Even now they don’t get information, it’s only on social media and in the newspapers.

“Very much so [there is a lack of awareness], they did not get a chance to educate themselves. We as a community have to also take responsibility.”

Verma added: “I know a case when the mum died, the children were fighting for her money.

“When I tell members about a pension and writing a will, sometimes they say ‘Ramesh, I’m not ready to die’. “Also, you have to find a genuine company and avoid any fraud.”

Dennis Reed, director of senior citizens charity Silver Voices, told Eastern Eye his

organisation has been drawing attention to the rise in pensioner poverty and “recognises that the problem is particularly acute among Asian elders.”

He added: “Although we support the call to lower the threshold for auto-enrolment in workplace pensions, if you are low paid you will only get a tiny pension on retirement.

“The key to tackling pensioner poverty is to raise the state pension to a similar level enjoyed in most other developed countries, that is around two thirds of average earnings rather than one third as it is in the UK.”

A controversial report by a think-tank in December suggested retirees with assets worth more than £1 million should be denied the state pension.

The Adam Smith Institute also called for the triple lock to be scrapped as it claimed the provision had made rich pensioners wealthier, while workers had seen their income fall in real terms.

It said ditching the triple lock, which chancellor Jeremy Hunt committed to in the autumn statement, and ending state pensions for households worth over £1m would help reduce inequalities.

LEAD Asians poverty Marsha De Cordova Labour MP Marsha De Cordova Marsha De Cordova

Labour MP Marsha De Cordova said the risk of pensioner poverty was amplified for women, disabled people and black, Asian and ethnic minority groups.

She added: “Similarly to those faced by women, these inequalities are the expression of lower average wages and labour market discrimination, which translate to less generous state pensions.

“That has often led to some ethnic minority people earning below the minimum salary threshold for auto-enrolment in workplace pensions.

“Lowering that threshold would be an easy fix for this injustice.”

The parliamentary under-secretary of state for work and pensions, Laura Trott, recently told MPs: “The government are committed to action that helps to alleviate the levels of pensioner poverty.

“We are forecast to spend more than £134 billion on benefits for pensioners in 2022-23, which amounts to 5.4 per cent of GDP and includes spending on the state pension that is forecast to be more than £110bn in 2022-23.

“Thankfully, there are 400,000 fewer pensioners in absolute poverty, both before and after housing costs, than in 2009-10, but there is always more to do.

“More than 10.7 million people have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension and more than 2 million employers have complied with their duties to date. This has helped to supply around an additional £33bn into pensions savings in real terms in 2021 compared to 2012.”

Any older person who is worried about money and/ or who may be entitled to claim benefits should contact Age UK by calling its national advice line free of charge on 0800 169 65 65 (8am-7pm), visiting www.ageuk.org.uk/money or contacting their local Age UK for free information and advice.

More For You

Bangladesh seeks US deal to shield garment industry from tariffs

Workers are engaged at their sewing stations in a garment factory in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, on April 9, 2025. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Bangladesh seeks US deal to shield garment industry from tariffs

BANGLADESH, the world's second-biggest garment manufacturer, aims to strike a trade deal with the US before Donald Trump's punishing tariffs kick in next week, said the country's top commerce official.

Dhaka is proposing to buy Boeing planes and boost imports of US wheat, cotton and oil in a bid to reduce the trade deficit, which Trump used as the reason for imposing painful levies in his "Liberation Day" announcement.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.
Getty Images

Bond yields ease following Starmer’s support for Reeves

THE COST of UK government borrowing fell on Thursday, partially reversing the rise seen after Chancellor Rachel Reeves became emotional during Prime Minister’s Questions.

The yield on 10-year government bonds dropped to 4.55 per cent, down from 4.61 per cent the previous day. The pound also recovered slightly to $1.3668 (around £1.00), though it did not regain all its earlier losses.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-trump-getty
Modi shakes hands with Trump before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. (Photo: Getty Images)
Getty Images

Indian exporters watch closely as Trump says trade deal with India likely

THE US could reach a trade deal with India that would help American companies compete more easily in the Indian market and reduce tariff rates, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday. However, he cast doubt on a similar deal with Japan.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he believed India was ready to lower trade barriers, potentially paving the way for an agreement that would avoid the 26 per cent tariff rate he had announced on April 2 and paused until July 9.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kolhapuri sandal sales surge in India post Prada controversy

Customers shop for 'Kolhapuri' sandals, an Indian ethnic footwear, at a store in New Delhi, India, June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Kolhapuri sandal sales surge in India post Prada controversy

INDIAN footwear sellers and artisans are tapping into nationalist pride stoked by the Prada 'sandal scandal' in a bid to boost sales of ethnic slippers with history dating back to the 12th century, raising hopes of reviving a struggling craft.

Sales are surging over the past week for the 'Kolhapuri' sandals that have garnered global attention after Prada sparked a controversy by showcasing similar designs in Milan, without initially crediting the footwear's origins.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.
Getty Images

Economy grew 0.7 per cent in Q1 2025, fastest in a year

THE UK economy expanded at its fastest pace in a year during the first quarter of 2025, driven by a rise in home purchases ahead of a tax deadline and higher manufacturing output before the introduction of new US import tariffs.

Gross domestic product rose by 0.7 per cent in the January-to-March period, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, confirming its earlier estimate. This was the strongest quarterly growth since the first quarter of 2024.

Keep ReadingShow less