Average Dutch retirement age approaching 66 years

The average retirement age in the Netherlands is quickly approaching 66 years, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). The average age of the 86,000 workers who retired last year was 65 years and 11 months - 3 months older than in 2022.

The increasing retirement age is due to the increasing state pension age. “From 2013 onwards, the average retirement age of employees has more or less kept pace with the applicable state pension age,” CBS said. “Only in 2021 was the retirement age slightly lower than a year earlier.

Last year, 74 percent of retiring employees were 65 years old or older. In 2013, that was 43 percent, and in 2003, 14 percent. “At that time, people could still make use of early retirement schemes, which were largely stopped after 2006,” CBS said. In 2003, almost three-quarters of retiring employees were younger than 62. Last year, that was less than 6 percent.

After a relatively strong increase in the number of pensioners in 2020 and 2021 (+50,000 per year), that number stabilized in 2022 and 2023 at just under 3.3 million. Due to population growth, the share of retirees among the total population decreased slightly to 18.3 percent in 2023. Dutch population growth is almost entirely due to immigration and retirees make up a tiny part of people moving to the Netherlands. Increased labor participation among older adults also plays a role.