Malta has widest pension gap between men and women in the EU - report

Malta has the highest gender pension gap in the European Union, according to data shared by the European Parliament.

Figures published on Wednesday, based on Eurostat data, show that Malta has a pension gap of 40.3 per cent, placing it at the bottom of the EU ranking. The Netherlands and Austria are next, with gaps of 36.3 per cent and 35.6 per cent, respectively.

The data was issued in a social media post by the European Parliament, which highlighted broader gender disparities across the bloc.

Women in the EU earn on average 12% less than men and the gap follows them into retirement with an average pension gap is 24.5%, the report says.

Women are more likely to take parental or maternity leave, work part-time and hold lower-paid jobs in undervalued sectors, which limits their earnings and contributes to the gender pay and pension gaps, it adds.

The European Parliament is calling for an EU action plan aimed at improving working conditions and ensuring fair pay in sectors dominated by women. It is also urging measures to strengthen work-life balance.

Estonia recorded the lowest gender pension gap at 5.6 per cent, followed by Slovakia at 8.4 per cent and Czechia at 9.6 per cent.

The issue was highlighted by Prof. Anna Borg during a keynote address at Vassallo Group’s recent 80th anniversary conference, Cradle and Career: Easing the Work – Family Squeeze.

Borg said younger and more educated women were increasingly aware of the long-term impact that having children could have on their careers and financial security. She referred to this as the “motherhood penalty”, a sociological concept describing the economic disadvantages women may face in the workplace as a result of motherhood.

“We see the motherhood penalty when we pay women less. When they get older, in Malta, they also have the pension gap, which is around 40 per cent. Meaning that we have a lot of older women who are poorer in comparison to other EU countries,” Borg said.

Borg, an associate professor at the University of Malta’s Centre for Labour Studies, also discussed findings from a study she conducted with Professor Liberato Camilleri. The research, commissioned by the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality, explored perceptions and attitudes towards work-life balance in Malta, with a particular focus on family size.

According to the European Institute for Gender Equality’s index, Malta scores 58.9 out of 100 and ranks 16th among EU member states in 2025.

“Malta is improving in gender equality over time, but performing lower than the EU. The scores show that the distance from the EU average is falling,” she said.