The gender gap in supplementary pensions in Belgium widened to 53 per cent in 2024, up from 44 per cent in 2019, according to new analysis from PensionStat.be.

The findings, published as part of its Annual Pension Gap Overview, showed that women receiving a supplementary pension upon retirement received €46,933 on average, compared with €100,766 for men.

PensionStat.be said the figures demonstrated that inequalities between men and women in supplementary pension outcomes had remained persistent and had widened over recent years.

The analysis focused on people who received a retirement pension for the first time in 2024, excluding those who combined it with a survivor’s pension or a pension from a separated or divorced spouse.

Of the 114,862 new pensioners included in the analysis, 56 per cent were men and 44 per cent were women.

However, access to supplementary pension provision also differed significantly by gender.

Around 69 per cent of male new retirees received a supplementary pension, compared with around half of female new retirees.

Among those who did receive a supplementary pension, 63 per cent were men and 37 per cent were women.

PensionStat.be cautioned that average supplementary pension amounts did not provide a complete picture of outcomes, as a relatively small number of retirees received particularly high supplementary pensions, pushing the overall average upwards.

Meanwhile, the gender difference was also evident in the composition of total retirement income.

For men, supplementary pensions accounted for 7 per cent of total pension income, while for women they represented just 3 per cent.

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