Based on research work financed by the European Commission under their programme of Community Action to Combat Social Exclusion, this book offers a comprehensive picture of the present state of later-life poverty across the 25 member states of the European Union. The authors analyze the poverty risks older people are currently facing in combination with a detailed study on the current European data-sets used to measure these risks. They provide a detailed description of recent pension reforms and consider their probable impact on retirement incomes for future generations of older people. This book will be essential reading for national and international research centres on pensions and related issues, for governments and for international organizations. It will also be of great interest to graduate students and academics in social policy related disciplines both in the EU and beyond, since the book contains valuable comparative material.