Retirement can last for almost 15 years in some European countries and more than 30 years in others. New data comparing retirement ages with life expectancy shows how sharply pension years vary across Europe, while also highlighting a persistent difference between men and women.
The figures are based on 2024 Eurostat and OECD data. They estimate how long people may live after reaching the official retirement age, assuming they meet the relevant contribution and eligibility requirements. The calculation does not mean every person stops working immediately at pension age.
Average pension years across the European Union
The average retirement age in the EU in 2024 was 64.7 years for men and 64 years for women, according to the OECD. At those ages, men were expected to live for another 18.4 years, while women were expected to live for 21.8 years.
That creates an average gender gap of 3.4 years in expected retirement. Women generally live longer than men, although they also tend to receive lower pensions. Across OECD countries, women’s pensions are 23% lower than men’s on average, with the gap reaching 37% in the United Kingdom.
Expected years in retirement for men
Within the countries covered, the expected period receiving a pension varied considerably. Male pensioners were projected to spend:
- 14.7 years in Bulgaria and Hungary;
- 22 years in Luxembourg, the highest figure within the EU;
- 21 years in Greece;
- 20.7 years in France and Slovenia;
- 20.4 years in Switzerland and 20.2 years in Malta.
The figure was also above the EU average in Cyprus, Sweden, Portugal, Belgium, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Austria and Finland. Ireland’s figure was 19 years, slightly above the EU average.
Germany stood out among the major European economies. Men there were expected to spend 17.3 years in retirement, 1.1 years below the EU average. Other countries with relatively short expected retirement periods included Latvia, Romania and Lithuania, where the figure was below 16 years.
Expected years in retirement for women
Women were expected to spend longer in retirement in every country, although the length of the difference varied. The EU average was 21.8 years, rising above 25 years in Luxembourg.
Women in Slovenia, Greece, France, Spain, Switzerland, Malta, Italy, Portugal, Cyprus and Finland were projected to spend more than 22 years in retirement. At the other end of the scale, the figure was 18.6 years in Hungary and 18.8 years in Bulgaria.
Germany and the UK were the only major economies below the EU average, at 20.3 and 21 years respectively. Other countries below 20 years included Romania, the Netherlands, Croatia, Denmark, Latvia and Iceland.
Why retirement years differ across Europe
The number of years people can expect to receive a pension depends mainly on two factors: the age at which they become eligible and their life expectancy at that point.
In the EU, men were expected to live to 83.1 years and women to 85.8 years in the relevant comparison. Countries with earlier retirement ages can therefore record longer periods in retirement, while higher retirement ages generally reduce the number of years between pension eligibility and death.
These comparisons should not be read as forecasts for individual households. Health, employment history, early-retirement rules, contribution records and continued work after pension age all affect a person’s actual retirement experience.
Turkey is a major outlier
Turkey recorded the longest expected retirement period in the comparison: 27.3 years for men and 34.5 years for women. Its official retirement age was also unusually low, at 52 for men and 49 for women in 2024.
In most of the other countries covered, retirement ages ranged from 62 to 67 for men and from 60 to 67 for women. Turkey’s figures therefore reflect a combination of relatively early pension eligibility and longer expected lifespans after that age.
However, official retirement age is not the same as the age at which people actually leave the labour market. Turkey illustrates the difference clearly. Although the formal retirement age was 52 for men and 49 for women, the average effective exit age was 60.8 for men and 60.5 for women.
Using labour-market exit rather than statutory retirement age reduces the expected post-work period in Turkey to 18.2 years for men and 22.6 years for women.
What the figures mean for Ireland
Ireland was slightly above the EU average for men, with an expected 19 years in retirement. That places Ireland alongside countries where longer life expectancy or comparatively later-life pension eligibility produces a substantial period after leaving work.
For Irish households, the figures are relevant to retirement planning but do not determine the value of an individual pension. Income in retirement depends on the State Pension, occupational schemes, private savings, contribution records and the age at which a person stops working.
The comparison also underlines why pension policy is closely connected to demographic change. As people live longer, governments face pressure to balance pension adequacy, contribution levels, retirement ages and the sustainability of public finances.
Why the gender gap matters
Women’s longer expected retirement can create additional financial pressure when combined with lower average pension payments. Career breaks, part-time employment, caring responsibilities and pay differences can affect pension contributions over a working life.
The data therefore raise two separate questions for policymakers:
- How can pension systems remain financially sustainable as retirement lasts longer?
- How can pension income better reflect the different working and life expectancy patterns of men and women?
What happens next for European pension systems?
The figures do not represent a new European Union law or a single EU pension decision. Retirement ages and pension rules remain largely national responsibilities, although EU institutions and the OECD compare data and support policy coordination.
Future reforms are likely to focus on longer working lives, flexible retirement, employment in older age and protection against poverty. Comparisons based only on official retirement age will remain incomplete unless they are considered alongside the age at which people actually leave employment and the income they receive afterwards.
Overall, the data show that Europeans do not experience retirement in the same way. The average EU pension period is 18.4 years for men and 21.8 years for women, but national differences are substantial. For anyone assessing Europe’s pension outlook, the key takeaway is that retirement length depends on both when people stop work and how long they are expected to live afterwards.
