With the arrival of autumn in Spain, pensioners begin to wonder how their income will change next year. Final figures will be known only in December, when the average consumer price index for the period from December 2024 to November 2025 is published. Inflation currently stands at 2.5%, but experts expect it to reach around 2.7% by the end of the year. This is slightly lower than last year’s increase, but the difference is marginal.
However, not all payments are indexed in the same way. In September 2025, there were 10.64 million pension payments in the country, but fewer recipients—around 9.39 million—since some people receive more than one pension. The average monthly payment amounted to €1,314, but this sum depends on work history, profession, and type of pension system.
Spain has several pension schemes: the main scheme (for most salaried workers), the self-employed (RETA), special schemes (for example, for coal industry workers and seafarers), as well as benefits for accidents at work and occupational diseases. There is also the special SOVI system, which was in place before the transition to democracy. Each regime provides different types of pensions: for old age, disability, survivor’s benefits, as well as for orphans and relatives.
The amount of payments varies: former miners receive the highest sums (up to €2,907 per month), while the lowest are paid to recipients of pensions under the old SOVI system (about €502). Various supplements may be added to these payments if the person has worked for at least 15 years. For those without sufficient employment history, other types of support are provided.
In recent years, the Spanish authorities have paid special attention to those receiving minimum payments. Thanks to agreements with trade unions, these groups receive the largest increases, aiming to close the gap between different categories of pensioners.
In 2025, some payments will rise significantly above inflation. For example, minimum pension supplements will increase by 6%, and pensions under the SOVI system will go up by nearly as much. The gender gap supplement, designed for those who had to interrupt their careers to care for children, will increase by 7.8%. Non-contributory pensions (PNC) and the minimum guaranteed income (IMV) will both rise by 9%. For widows with children, the increase will be 9.1%.
Who are the main beneficiaries? More than 2.1 million people receive supplements to minimum pensions. For pensioners over 65, the minimum annual amount is €12,241.6, and for those with a dependent spouse—€15,786.4. Among the self-employed, the share of recipients of these supplements is even higher—almost one third. In September, €623 million was spent for these purposes, with the average supplement amounting to €293 per month.
Almost 1.15 million people receive a gender gap supplement — in 2025, this will be 35.9 euros per month, which is 5% above the general indexation. Pensions without sufficient work history (PNC) are received by 462,800 people, and in the past year, the annual amount was set at 7,905.8 euros. The size of the payment depends on the number of family members receiving such a pension.
The Minimum Guaranteed Income (IMV) is provided to 764,900 households, home to more than 2.3 million people. The average amount of this benefit is 516.78 euros per month, and in September, the total payments reached 426 million euros.
Thus, in 2026, the largest increase in payments is expected for those groups that already received higher supplements: recipients of minimum pensions, pensions without work history, widows with children, and low-income families. For other pensioners, indexation will be closer to the inflation rate, but it will still help maintain purchasing power.
