Retirement age and pension in Europe

Published 27 October 2026 · Data: PayAbacus pension calculators with each country’s 2026 rules

We followed the same career in 31 European countries: someone aged 35 today, earning €36,000 a year, with 13 years insured so far and 32 more to come. The earliest age for a full state pension ranges from 62 in Greece, Luxembourg and Slovenia to 70 in Denmark.

When the full pension starts

13 of the 31 countries pay a full pension at 65 to this worker, and 9 at 67 or later. Several countries tie the pension age to life expectancy, so it keeps rising for younger generations: that is why the ages shown for someone born in 1991 can be higher than today’s. In the United Kingdom the age is 68.

How much of the pay it replaces

The net state pension replaces between 30% (Estonia) and 108% (Iceland) of the last net pay; the median is 63%. Countries with a low rate, such as Estonia and Bulgaria, rely on occupational and private pensions on top. In the United Kingdom the rate is 38%, about €1,234 a month in today’s euros.

What it means

The same career leads to very different pensions and retirement dates. The figures are projections under today’s rules, which governments change often, and they cover the state pension only: occupational and private pensions, where they exist, come on top.

Sources and method

• PayAbacus pension calculators with each country’s 2026 rules (the official sources are listed on each calculator page), for a worker aged 35 with 13 years insured, €36,000 a year, a 1% real raise a year and 32 more years of work, claiming at each country’s earliest full-pension age.
• Amounts in today’s money; amounts in other currencies converted to euros at the calculator’s exchange rates.
• Replacement rate: first net pension divided by the last net pay.