How Long Does Retirement Last? Cyprus, Poland, and Two Extreme Cases in Europe

A man retiring in Cyprus can statistically collect benefits for 19.8 years, and a woman for 22.5 years. In Poland, the expected period is shorter, at 16.3 and 20.3 years, respectively. Cyprus is above the European Union average, while Poland is below.

Even greater differences are visible in extreme cases. In Turkey, the calculation shows a pension of 27.3 years for men and 34.5 years for women. At the other end of the spectrum, Hungary, among others, stands at 14.7 years for men and 18.6 years for women. However, Turkey's result requires an important explanation.

How was the expected length of retirement calculated?

The Euronews Business report doesn't show how long previous retirees actually lived. It's a projection based on two pieces of information: the retirement age and the life expectancy of someone who has reached that age.

So if the statutory retirement age in a given country is 65, and a 65-year-old person can statistically live to the age of about 85, the expected time in retirement will be about 20 years.

The calculations don't take into account all individual situations. Some people leave the labor market early, while others work beyond retirement age. Merely reaching a certain age isn't always sufficient to receive the full benefit – the number of years worked and the amount of contributions paid may also be important.

Cyprus above the European Union average

Men in the European Union can expect, on average, to live 18.4 years after reaching retirement age. For women, the figure is 21.8 years.

Cyprus exceeds both figures. For men, the expected retirement period is 1.4 years longer than the EU average, while for women it is 0.7 years longer.

In a survey of 32 European countries, Cypriot men were among those with relatively long retirement periods. Similar or higher results were achieved by countries such as Spain, Italy, Malta, France, Slovenia, Greece, and Luxembourg.

In Cyprus, the retirement age used in the comparison was 65 for women and men. The gender difference is primarily due to women's longer life expectancy.

A Cypriot woman reaching retirement age can statistically collect benefits 2.7 years longer than a man.

In Poland, retirement is shorter

Poland fell below the EU average. A man can statistically spend 16.3 years in retirement, which is 2.1 years less than the EU average and 3.5 years less than a man in Cyprus.

For Polish women, the expected period is 20.3 years. This is 1.5 years less than the EU average and 2.2 years less than in Cyprus.

The results are influenced, among other things, by the different retirement ages for women and men. In Poland, women can retire at 60, while men can retire at 65.

Polish women begin receiving benefits earlier and statistically remain in retirement four years longer than men. This is one of the largest gender differences noted in the survey.

However, a longer pension period doesn't necessarily translate into a more favorable financial situation. Women often have shorter contribution records, lower salaries, and breaks in employment related to childcare. This can translate into lower monthly benefits.

Türkiye in first place, but the result may be misleading

The most dramatic figures come from Turkey, where men are expected to spend 27.3 years in retirement, while women spend a staggering 34.5 years.

The reason is primarily the very low eligibility age used in the calculation. In 2024, it was 52 for men and 49 for women.

This doesn't mean, however, that most Turkish people actually stop working that early. The average effective age of exiting the labor market was 60.8 for men and 60.5 for women.

Using the effective retirement age, the projected retirement period would be 18.2 years for men and 22.6 years for women. This would be close to the European average, not the highest in the ranking.

Türkiye best demonstrates why statutory retirement age cannot be automatically equated with the moment of leaving work.

Hungary at the other end of the ranking

The shortest expected period of receiving a pension by women was recorded in Hungary – 18.6 years.

For men, the result was 14.7 years. Bulgaria achieved the same result, while slightly higher values were recorded in Latvia, Romania and Lithuania.

Differences between countries are influenced by both the retirement age and life expectancy after reaching it. Therefore, a country with a higher retirement age and a shorter life expectancy may rank significantly lower than one with an earlier retirement age.

Retirement age and the actual end of employment

Across the European Union, the official retirement age in 2024 was on average 64.7 for men and 64 for women.

However, the actual moment of leaving the labour market occurred earlier – on average at the age of 63.8 for men and 62.9 for women.

Some people take advantage of early retirement benefits, pensions, or other options for ending their working lives. Others work longer despite being eligible for a pension.

The values presented should therefore be treated as a comparison of systems and life expectancy, and not a guarantee of how many years a specific person will receive the benefit.

However, they reveal a significant difference: the average resident of Cyprus can expect to live longer after reaching retirement age than a resident of Poland. At the same time, both countries remain far from the results that, at first glance, divide Turkey and Hungary.

Sources: Euronews Business, OECD, Eurostat, Phileleftheros