The bar charts compare the average retirement age of men and women in seven European countries in 2004 and 2008.
Overall, retirement ages were generally similar for both genders, with men tending to retire slightly later than women. In most countries, the average retirement age increased over the period, while Italy was the only nation to record a decline, and this occurred solely among women. Sweden consistently had the highest retirement ages, whereas France recorded the lowest figures.
Looking first at men, Sweden and the Netherlands had the oldest retirees in both years. In Sweden, the average retirement age rose slightly from about 63.3 years in 2004 to around 63.6 years in 2008, while the corresponding figures for the Netherlands increased from approximately 62.6 to 63 years. Similar upward trends were observed in Denmark, Germany and the UK, where retirement ages climbed by around half to one year. France remained the country with the youngest male retirees, although its figure edged up marginally from just under 59 years to roughly 59 years. By contrast, Italy was the only country in which the male retirement age remained unchanged, at approximately 60 years.
A comparable pattern can be seen among women. Sweden again recorded the highest figures, increasing from just below 63 years to about 63.5 years, followed by the Netherlands, where the average retirement age rose from 62 to 62.5 years. In Germany, Denmark and the UK, moderate increases were also evident, with retirement ages reaching approximately 61, 60.5 and 61.5 years respectively by 2008. France experienced only a negligible rise, remaining below 59 years throughout the period. Italy, however, diverged from the general trend, as the average retirement age for women fell from around 60 years in 2004 to just over 59 years in 2008.