Denmark is set to have Europe's highest retirement age after lawmakers approved a measure to raise it to 70 by 2040. Under current Danish law, the retirement age is linked to life expectancy and recalculated every five years. It's now 67, increasing to 68 in 2030 and to 69 in 2035, per the BBC. The new age limit of 70 will apply to Danes born after December 31, 1970. Parliament approved the change on Thursday, with an 81-21 vote.
The move has drawn criticism from trade unions and workers, particularly those with physically demanding jobs. Tommas Jensen, a 47-year-old roofer, described the change as "unrealistic and unreasonable," highlighting the challenges for blue-collar workers compared to those in less physically taxing roles, per the Independent. Unions have staged recent protests in Copenhagen and called the law "completely unfair," pointing out that Denmark already leads the EU in retirement age. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen suggested last year that the policy could be reconsidered, stating an automatic increase might not be sustainable: "You can't just keep saying that people have to work a year longer."
Denmark's decision follows a broader European trend. Sweden's earliest pension age is now 63, while Italy's is 67 and could soon rise again. In the UK, the state pension starts at 66 and is expected to go up; France controversially raised its retirement age from 62 to 64 in 2023, sparking unrest. The London Times notes there've even been some projections that Denmark's retirement age could reach 77. Still, that outlet notes that polls show that more than half of Danish residents want to keep working past the typical state retirement age, with many nearing that milestone with a plan to gradually reduce working instead of quitting cold turkey. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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