Denmark: Denmark is set to claim the highest retirement age in Europe following the passage of a new law that will gradually raise the official age to 70 by the year 2040. The legislation, sanctioned by the Danish parliament with 81 votes in favour and 21 against, will apply to all individuals born after 31 December 1970.
Since 2006, Denmark has linked its retirement age to life expectancy, revising it every five years. The current retirement age is 67, with scheduled increases to 68 in 2030 and 69 in 2035. The new benchmark of 70 will be raised five years later.
The move has stirred both political and public debate. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of the Social Democrats signalled last year that the automatic increase mechanism may be up for revision, stating that, “We no longer believe that the retirement age should be increased automatically.” She added that simply pushing the working age higher was not an endurable solution.
Trade unions and blue-collar workers have voiced strong opposition. Protests in Copenhagen, supported by several unions, have taken place in recent weeks. Jesper Ettrup Rasmussen, head of a Danish trade union confederation, described the decision as ‘completely unfair, arguing that a country with Denmark’s economic health should not enforce such a high retirement threshold.
Rasmussen remarked that, “A higher retirement age means that [people will] lose the right to a dignified senior life.” Workers in physically demanding jobs, like 47-year-old roofer Tommas Jensen, have expressed concern.
Across Europe, retirement ages are on the rise as governments grapple with longer life expectancies and mounting fiscal pressures. Sweden allows early retirement at 63, while Italy’s standard pension age is currently 67. The UK has started increasing its pension age for those born after April 1960, and France raised its retirement age from 62 to 64 in 2023, a move that prompted nationwide protests and political controversy.
As the retirement landscape shifts across the continent, Denmark’s decision sets a new precedent and reignites the conversation around work, well-being, and life after 65.
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