The bar charts illustrate the average retirement age for men and women across six nations in 2004 and 2008. Overall, there was a general upward trend in retirement ages for both genders, with Sweden consistently reporting the highest figures, while Italy remained the most stable.
For men, the retirement age rose in most countries. Sweden saw an increase from 63 to 64 years, while Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and the UK all experienced a one-year rise, reaching 61, 59, 63, and 62 years respectively. Italy was the exception, where the average retirement age for men remained stagnant at 60 years throughout the period.
Regarding women, retirement ages also trended upwards, except in France, where the figure remained constant at 58 years. Sweden again led the group, with the average age climbing from 63 to 64 years. Denmark and the UK both saw increases of one year, reaching 61 and 61 respectively. Similarly, the Netherlands and Italy saw modest growth, rising to 62 and 59 years. In summary, while most countries moved towards later retirement, the extent of this shift varied, with Sweden maintaining the highest retirement age for both men and women.