A wave of protests rocked France this month after the French government moved to raise the retirement age in the country.
While the prospects of the age of retirement being pushed from 62 to 64, with the change expected to take place by 2030, outraged the French, there are countries where this bar is set even higher.
For example, just across the English Channel the current retirement age for both men and women in the UK is 66 years, although it is expected to be increased starting from May 2026.
In Greece, the retirement age for men and women is 67 years, despite those with 12,000 working days (40 years) on record may retire at 62.
The retirement age in Norway and Iceland is also 67, even though retirees may start drawing their old-age pensions when they turn 62 (in the case of Norway) and 65 (in the case of Iceland), provided that their earnings were sufficient.
The retirement age in many other European countries, such as Finland, Belgium, Spain and Sweden, is set at 65 years.
In some countries, however, the retirement age may differ depending on retiree’s gender: in Switzerland, for instance, it is 65 years for men but 64 years for women. The retirement age in Russia is 65 years for men and 60 for women.
While people in the United States can start drawing on their social security benefits when they reach the age of 62, applying for these benefits before attaining the full retirement age (67 years) would result in a reduction of payments for the rest of the retiree’s days.
In Israel, men become entitled to an old age pension when they turn 67; for women, the retirement age varies from 60 to 65 years, depending on the date of their birth.
There are also countries where the retirement age is lower, such as China where it is 60 years for men, 55 years for women in white-collared jobs and 50 for women involved in factory work, even though recent media reports suggest that Beijing may raise the retirement age in the near future.