In December 2024, men retired under the Social Security general scheme received, on average, 786.17 euros monthly in old-age pension, while women received only 452.09 euros, a difference of 334.08 euros per month. This inequality was observed across all age brackets analysed and persisted even when considering only new pensions awarded in 2024, a year in which men began receiving, on average, 859.46 euros and women 554.59 euros. The data is presented in the Social Security Financial Sustainability Report, included in the State Budget Report for 2026, with source from the Informatics Institute, I.P., of the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security.
The calculation rules for old-age pensions are the same for men and women, pursuant to Decree-Law No. 187/2007. However, the final amount depends on the reference remuneration, the pension accrual rate, and the number of years with registered contributions. The report links the gender disparity to the unequal distribution of declared work income paid into Social Security throughout working life, which means inequalities accumulated during the active working years are reflected in the pension amount.
The situation reverses when analysing survivor pensions attributed to spouses. In December 2024, women received, on average, 348.32 euros monthly, while men received only 245.94 euros, a difference of 102.38 euros in favour of women. This occurs because the survivor pension is calculated based on the old-age or disability pension that the deceased received or would be entitled to receive. As men from those generations had, on average, higher old-age pensions, survivor pensions awarded after their death started from higher reference values. When there is only one spouse entitled to the benefit, the survivor pension corresponds to 60% of the reference pension.
The figures presented are statistical averages that include beneficiaries with very different career paths, not corresponding to fixed amounts for each gender. A woman with a long contributory career may have a pension higher than the male average, and vice-versa. The report indicates that the data refers to December 2024 and that the pensions were covered by subsequent legal updates, including the annual update for 2026. In both types of benefit analysed, the observed differences reflect, through different pathways, the same wage and contributory inequalities accumulated between men and women during their working lives.
