Europe Archives - Pension Policy International

15JulJuly 15, 2026

Ticking time bomb? Europe’s aging population brings challenges

The population of the 27-nation European Union will peak in 2029 before falling in the coming decades, according to a report published Tuesday that spotlights the major challenges the bloc faces from an aging population. Today, there are 450.6 million people, but researchers say this will peak at 453.3 million in 2029 before a slow, long-term decline. The population will fall to 398.8 million people by 2100, an overall drop of 11.7 percent and a level last experienced in the 1970s. Europeans...

July 15, 2026

NewsAging, Europe

24JunJune 24, 2026

European pension systems face demographic and labor market pressures – PensionsEurope

European pension systems, while built on different national models, are facing broadly similar structural challenges, according to PensionsEurope, Trend's correspondent reports from the event. Speaking at the 11th Azerbaijan International Insurance Forum in Baku, Matti Leppäla, Secretary General and CEO of PensionsEurope, said that although each European country has its own pension framework, many of the underlying problems are shared. He noted that countries such as France, Italy, and Spain rely primarily on state-financed pay-as-you-go pension systems, while several other European states...

June 24, 2026

NewsAging, Europe, Labor Market

15JunJune 15, 2026

Retirement Wealth Across Europe: A Country-by-Country Comparison

Retirement wealth differs greatly across European nations, affecting living standards in ways that go beyond what pension income alone can provide, according to the European Central Bank's Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS) released in mid-2023. In certain countries, older households possess more than 30 times the wealth of their counterparts elsewhere, illustrating how housing, pensions, and family assistance influence financial security in later years. Within the euro area, households aged 65 to 74 have a median net wealth of EUR185,300....

June 15, 2026

NewsEquality, Europe, Income

29MayMay 29, 2026

Old and new welfare states retaining older workers in the face of crisis: the case of COVID-19 in Europe

By Kun Lee The Coronavirus pandemic was a unique crisis in Europe as an unprecedented health and labour market shock barely disrupted long-term trends towards active ageing. We study the role of social policy responses and pre-existing welfare state institutions in moderating older workers’ early exit following the crisis. Using a cross-nationally harmonized panel survey in Europe, we examine whether variations in national labour market policies and pension institutions explain older workers’ exit outcomes following COVID-19, net of the economic...

May 29, 2026

Books, Books, Labor Market, Reports2026, COVID-19, Europe, Labor Market

20MayMay 20, 2026

Europe’s wage and pension gaps reveal deep east-west divide

Who earns most?: Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Iceland top average wage rankings, while Eastern and Southern nations remain at the lower end. Pensions vs. costs: In 20 of 39 European countries, pensions fail to cover living costs, with the worst gaps in Georgia, Albania, and Ukraine. Minimum wage spread: Luxembourg, Ireland, and Germany lead nominal minimum wages, but purchasing power narrows the gap between east and west. OECD’s 2026 wage report shows stark disparities The OECD’s 2026 data reveals average gross wages ranging from €18,590 in Turkey...

May 20, 2026

NewsAdequacy, Europe, Income

13AprApril 13, 2026

Europe’s biggest pension investor eyes private markets boost

Europe's biggest pension investor, APG, will increase its allocation to private markets to just over 30% and sees current credit market flux as a potential buying opportunity, its chief investment ‌officer for private investments told Reuters. APG invests around 600 billion euros ($702.00 billion) for clients including ABP, the Netherlands' biggest pension fund. Around 26% of its assets are currently in private markets but it would add more after ongoing changes to investment rules in the Netherlands, Patrick Kanters said. The...

April 13, 2026

NewsEurope, Investment

25MarMarch 25, 2026

Oil shock opens pension fund checkbooks for Europe’s climate – er, ‘energy security’ – fund managers

While the conflict with Iran has choked off the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, it has opened the tap from European pension funds and other investors looking to capitalize on increased urgency around the continent’s energy security. Clean energy and other infrastructure project developers, along with climate tech fund managers, are finding a suddenly more welcoming reception from institutional investors in Europe, even as dealmaking in the Middle East itself has stalled (see, “Middle East sovereign wealth financed...

March 25, 2026

NewsClimate crisis, Europe, Investment

07JanJanuary 7, 2026

Gender Pension Gap in Europe Averaged 22% in 2024

Women in Europe receive significantly lower pensions than men, with the average gap across 27 European countries standing at 22%, according to data from the OECD and Eurostat reported by Euronews Business. This means that, on average across Europe, women receive just EUR78 in pension income, whereas men receive EUR100. The gender pay gap is a related phenomenon, with women in the EU earning 12% less than men in 2023. However, the pension gap is wider. In 2024, the gender...

January 7, 2026

News2026, Europe, Gender Gap

20NovNovember 20, 2025

Why private pensions can’t fix the ageing problem

Across Europe, politicians increasingly tout private pensions as a cure-all for reviving stagnant stock exchanges, fostering entrepreneurship and curbing ballooning public spending as populations age. But any governments that bet on this solution may be disappointed. A proliferation of individual piggybanks will not solve the deeper challenges that flow from having purchasing power ever-more concentrated in older hands. According to the United Nations, Europe’s population aged 20 to 64 will shrink by 31% between now and 2100, while longer lifespans...

November 20, 2025

NewsAging, Defined Contribution, Europe, Private Pensions, savings

10NovNovember 10, 2025

European nations have no choice but to raise retirement ages – our case study shows why

In early October 2025, with his political future hanging by a thread, France’s resigned-and-reappointed prime minister Sébastien Lecornu pledged to suspend unpopular pension reforms until 2027, when presidential elections will be held. Socialist MPs declared victory. The French business community groaned. The S&P downgraded France’s credit rating, citing budget concerns. With France kicking inevitable reforms at least two years down the road, and many European countries facing pension crises of their own, it is worth considering how to design pension reforms...

November 10, 2025

NewsEurope, Retirement Age

July 2026

Ticking time bomb? Europe’s aging population brings challenges

June 2026

European pension systems face demographic and labor market pressures – PensionsEurope

Retirement Wealth Across Europe: A Country-by-Country Comparison

May 2026

Old and new welfare states retaining older workers in the face of crisis: the case of COVID-19 in Europe

Europe’s wage and pension gaps reveal deep east-west divide

April 2026

Europe’s biggest pension investor eyes private markets boost

March 2026

Oil shock opens pension fund checkbooks for Europe’s climate – er, ‘energy security’ – fund managers

January 2026

Gender Pension Gap in Europe Averaged 22% in 2024

November 2025

Why private pensions can’t fix the ageing problem

European nations have no choice but to raise retirement ages – our case study shows why