The two bar charts illustrate the average retirement age of men and women in seven countries – Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom – in 2004 and 2008.
Overall, in both years, men retired later than women, and in almost all countries the average retirement age increased slightly over the four-year period. Sweden and Denmark consistently had the highest retirement ages, while France and Italy recorded the lowest.
In 2004, the average retirement age of men ranged from about 58.8 years in France to 63 years in Sweden. Most other countries fell between 61 and 63 years, including Germany (61.2), Denmark (62.4), the UK (62.6), and the Netherlands (61). Italy’s figure was slightly lower, at 59.2 years. By 2008, the average age for men rose modestly in every country, reaching 63.6 in Sweden and 63 in the UK, while France remained the lowest at 59.3 years.
A similar pattern can be observed among women. In 2004, Swedish women retired the latest, at 62.4 years, while Italian women retired the earliest, at 57.4 years. The other nations reported figures between 60 and 61.5 years. Between 2004 and 2008, women’s retirement ages increased slightly everywhere, with the most notable growth in Italy, rising to 59.2 years. By 2008, Sweden again had the highest average (63.3), followed by Denmark (62.1), while France and Italy remained the lowest, at around 59-60 years.
In summary, both genders experienced a gradual rise in retirement age between 2004 and 2008, with men consistently retiring later than women and Scandinavian countries showing the highest averages overall.