Overview

• Median net equivalized income for people aged 65 and over in retirement is €1,990 per month, below the overall population’s median of about €2,300.
• The income distribution is polarized, with the second quintile at €1,400–≈€1,790 and the top quintile above ≈€2,870 per month.
• Households composed solely of retirees derive about 92% of their income from pensions or public retirement benefits, with minimal shares from work or transfers.
• Women’s age incomes average 25.8% below men’s, widening to 36.9% when survivor benefits are excluded, though the gap has narrowed versus 2021.
• Roughly 739,000 people received basic income support in old age at end‑2024, up 7.1% year over year and 31% since 2020, as policymakers debate the draft Aktivrente and a 48% pension‑level guarantee.