Awareness among Danish women of what happens to pension savings in the event of a divorce has risen to 70 per cent, according to a survey conducted by Epinion on behalf of Sampension.

The survey of around 1,000 Danes found that 70 per cent of women correctly answered that each spouse generally keeps their own pension savings following a divorce, up from 49 per cent in a comparable survey conducted in 2022.

Among men, 63 per cent said that each party takes their own pension savings with them if they divorce, compared with 58 per cent of men in 2022.  

The survey also showed that awareness of how pension savings are divided in a divorce increased across all age groups between 2022 and 2026.

Among 18–34-year-olds, correct responses rose from 42 per cent to 59 per cent; among 35–55-year-olds, from 58 per cent to 66 per cent; and among 56–65-year-olds, from 63 per cent to 76 per cent.

Sampension head of advisory services, Helle Dalsgaard, said it is “very remarkable” that, over a relatively short period, the proportion of women who are knowledgeable about their pension rights in the event of divorce has increased significantly.

“And during the same period, they have even overtaken men when it comes to knowledge of the rules in this area. This is therefore a development that really makes one sit up and take notice,” Dalsgaard continued.

“The growing awareness of pension rules in the event of divorce can, amongst other things, be seen as part of the more general trend we have witnessed in recent years, where women are taking an increasing interest in their personal finances, including their pension savings.”

Dalsgaard explained that women have a good reason to keep track of their pension if they split from their partner. She noted that in the event of divorce, each party takes their own pension savings, which can particularly impact the person with the smallest savings, typically the woman.

“This is, of course, something to be aware of, and it is therefore encouraging that far more women now understand the rules,” she stated.

Emphasising the importance of this issue, Statistics Denmark's latest figures found that women’s pension assets were on average 16 per cent lower than men’s in 2024, compared with 28 per cent in 2014.

Dalsgaard emphasised that greater awareness of the rules among both women and men will “hopefully help more married couples to have a timely discussion about how they will manage their finances should they end up separating”.

She added that in that context, couples may also consider drawing up a prenuptial agreement, in which the parties can, amongst other things, agree that pensions are included in the division of assets/the estate in the event of a divorce.

According to the latest figures from the Land Registry, 11,610 prenuptial agreements were registered in 2025, the highest level since the figures started being recorded in 2010.

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