Danes Criticize Move To Increase Retirement Age To Highest In Europe

Following weeks of protests, Danish lawmakers passed a bill that would raise the retirement age to 70, a move that sparked criticism from citizens, trade unions, and opposition politicians who called the measure unfair and out of touch with workers in physically demanding jobs, CNN reported. 

The new bill will raise the current retirement age of 67 to 70 by 2040. The changes will apply to all citizens born after Dec. 31, 1970.  

The decision makes Denmark the first European country to set a retirement age beyond 69, and places it among the highest retirement ages globally. 

Before the vote, protests backed by trade unions took place in the capital, Copenhagen, in recent weeks, with unions warning that the change would deny workers “the right to a dignified senior life,” the BBC wrote.  

The socialist Red-Green Alliance party and blue-collar workers condemned the bill as “incomprehensible” and that it “cannot be defended.” They countered that professionals with desk jobs do not face the same physical toll, adding that politicians and ministers can retire at 60. 

But officials said the reform is driven by concerns about financial sustainability and the ability to aid Denmark’s future generations, with Employment Minister Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen adding it was necessary to “afford proper welfare for future generations.” 

Since 2006, Denmark’s official retirement age has been linked to life expectancy and has been revised every five years. It is currently 67 but will rise to 68 in 2030 and to 69 in 2035. 

Despite supporting the bill, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had previously expressed reservations about the automatic link between retirement age and life expectancy.

Meanwhile, about 80,000 Danes over the state pension age are still employed, according to the insurance and pension trade association F&P. 

The association claimed that a growing number of Danes are already continuing employment beyond retirement age, and many have both the health and the motivation to do so. 

Meanwhile, a number of countries have opted to increase the retirement age to reflect longer life expectancy and to tackle budget deficits. 

In 2023, demonstrations erupted across France over the government’s decision to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.  

Last year, China, which had one of the lowest retirement ages worldwide, increased it from 60 to 63 for men, and from 55 to 58 for women, depending on occupation.