Retirement: here is the pension of a self -employed worker, according to his sector of activity

On average, an independent retired affects a direct law pension of 1,180 euros gross per month. But some get much better.

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15.7 million. This is the number of people who, at the end of 2020, touched a direct law retirement pension in France, according to the 2025 edition of the investigation into the income of the self -employed, published by INSEE this Wednesday, May 21. Among these retirees, 1.4 million are former independent. For the most part, farmers-half of this total, but also craftsmen-merchants (around 500,000 people) and liberal professions (some 180,000 retirees). All of them have in common that they have carried out most of their careers in a self-employed regime.

And that’s their only thing in common. Because in terms of pension, the differences are obvious. In 2020, an ex-independent perceived on average 1,180 euros gross per monthall regimes combined and before social security contributions. An amount significantly lower than the average observed in all retirees, which amounts to 1,540 euros. It is also the former farmers who draw the average down, with a monthly pension of 810 euros. Conversely, Liberal professions get out of it very much betterwith an average pension of 2,570 euros. More than the triple of the retirement of an agricultural operator! Worse, a quarter of the former non-employees-350,000 retirees-receive an even lower pension than that of farmers, and less than 800 euros per month …

The retirement of the self -employed does not escape gender inequalities

But pension inequalities are not determined by the sector of activity alone. Not surprisingly, the gender Also come into account. In all groups of ex-independent people, women thus perceive much lower pensions than their male counterparts. INSEE confirms it, “The gap is 31 % among farmers” and climb to “41 % among artisans-merchants”. Concretely, while an ex-independent receives an average pension of 1,440 euros, all sectors combined, a woman in the same situation must be content with 840 euros.

The causes of this abyssal ditch (7,200 euros per year) are well known: quarries more often choppedmarked in particular by interruptions linked to maternity. This mechanically reduces the number of validated quarters, contributed income and, in the end, the pension received at the time of retirement. And it is by crossing sector of activity and gender that inequalities explode. An ex-farm woman receives an average of 670 euros in pension, when a man who has exercised a liberal profession receives 2,930 euros gross. Or more than Four times more!

An important nuance however: as the INSEE recalls, “The retirees being here classified according to their main regimea fraction of their total pension can come other plans (complementary)». In other words, the amounts mentioned are not not necessarily the exact reflection From their retirement income, especially for those who have contributed in several regimes over their journey. The differences can therefore diminish very slightly, once all of the pensions added.