Countries With the Lowest Retirement Age in the World

The countries with the lowest retirement ages in the world include Turkey (as low as 49 for women and 52 for men under legacy pension schemes), China (women in blue-collar jobs still eligible at 50 during its ongoing 15-year transition), and Colombia (57 for women, 62 for men). The global OECD average sits at 64.7 years for men and 63.9 years for women, meaning these nations allow workers to exit the workforce anywhere from 5 to 15+ years earlier than the developed-world norm.

Quick Reference: Lowest Statutory Retirement Ages by Country (2025)

The table below ranks countries from youngest to oldest statutory retirement age, including gender-specific thresholds where the law treats men and women differently.

Sources: OECD Pensions at a Glance 2025; U.S. Social Security Administration country profiles; Finnish Centre for Pensions 2025 comparison table

Turkey Has the Lowest Retirement Age of Any OECD Country in the World

Turkey holds the record for the lowest statutory retirement age among all nations tracked by the OECD, with a normal retirement age of just 49 for women and 52 for men under its legacy pension scheme. The statutory retirement age, meaning the legally mandated age at which a worker becomes eligible to begin drawing a government pension without penalty or reduction, is typically a single number in most countries. Turkey’s system is more complex because eligibility depends heavily on when a worker first enrolled in the SGK (Sosyal Guvenlik Kurumu, the national Social Security Institution).

Under a landmark 2023 reform, Turkey allowed workers who enrolled in the SGK on or before September 8, 1999 to claim their pension at any age, provided they had accumulated 20 years of coverage for women or 25 years of coverage for men, alongside between 5,000 and 5,975 contribution days (the total number of days for which social insurance premiums were actually paid into the system). A worker who entered the system at age 24 and hit those milestones could retire in their late 40s with a full pension. Approximately 5 million workers became eligible for retirement under this reform, with 2.25 million becoming eligible immediately in 2023.

The OECD’s Pensions at a Glance 2025 report explicitly identifies Turkey as a global outlier on retirement age, placing it roughly 13 to 15 years below the next-lowest OECD members. For workers who enrolled after September 1999, Turkey’s standard retirement age is 58 for women and 60 for men, with a long-term trajectory toward 65 for both genders by approximately 2048. Turkey’s minimum monthly pension was raised to TRY 20,000 (approximately $550 USD at early 2026 exchange rates) as of January 2026, following an inflation-driven adjustment to protect retirees against the country’s prolonged high-inflation environment.

China Still Allows Women to Retire at 50, But a 15-Year Reform Is Underway

China’s retirement ages are currently the lowest of any major economy in active transition, with women in blue-collar roles still eligible at 50 and men at 60 even as a 15-year reform program works to raise those numbers incrementally each year. These ages trace directly back to rules set by the Chinese government in the 1950s, when China’s life expectancy was approximately 57 years, a figure that has since risen to 78.6 years as of 2023.

On January 1, 2025, China officially launched its first retirement age increase since the founding of the People’s Republic. The new rules raise the statutory retirement age gradually in the following structure:

The demographic pressure driving this reform is exceptional in scale. By 2021, nearly 19% of China’s population was over age 60. That share is projected to reach 28%, or roughly 402 million people, by 2040. Meanwhile, approximately 300 million people aged 50 to 60 are expected to leave the workforce over the coming decade, a labor departure equivalent in total headcount to the entire population of the United States. A 2019 report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a top government-affiliated research body, warned that without reform, China’s main state pension fund could be fully depleted by 2035.

Workers under the new system retain meaningful flexibility. They may voluntarily retire up to three years early after meeting minimum contribution requirements, and they may delay retirement by up to three years beyond their statutory age with employer agreement. Beginning in 2030, the minimum contribution period required to receive monthly pension benefits will also begin rising from 15 years to 20 years, increasing by six months per year until the new threshold is fully reached.

Colombia Has the Lowest Retirement Age in the OECD Outside of Turkey

Colombia’s retirement age of 57 for women and 62 for men represents the lowest normal retirement ages in the OECD among members other than Turkey, making it the most significant example of low-age retirement policy in the Western Hemisphere. These thresholds exist within a pension system that Colombia fundamentally restructured effective July 1, 2025.

The new Colombian framework is organized as a four-pillar pension system, meaning a retirement income architecture divided into four separate program tiers, each designed to serve workers at different contribution and income levels. The four pillars consist of a solidarity program for low-income individuals who lack sufficient contribution history, a semi-contributory program for partial contributors, a mandatory contributory program covering standard employees and certain self-employed workers, and a voluntary savings program for supplemental retirement investment.

Workers with fewer than 900 contribution weeks (men) or 750 contribution weeks (women) are automatically enrolled in the new system. Workers approaching the retirement age within 10 years of the July 2025 launch date had a two-year window to decide whether to transfer. The social insurance component of the contributory pillar covers monthly earnings up to 2.3 times the legal monthly minimum wage, which equated to approximately 2,990,000 Colombian pesos (roughly $750 USD) in 2024. Colombia is notable internationally for maintaining early retirement ages while simultaneously launching a modern multi-tier pension architecture.

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Indonesia’s Retirement Age Is 58 and Rising to 65 by 2043

Indonesia currently sets the statutory retirement age at 58 for both men and women, making it the lowest uniform retirement threshold for both genders among the world’s major economies outside the countries ranked above. This figure is itself the result of a recent increase from 56 to 58 in 2022, and a further legislated schedule will bring it to 65 by 2043, rising at a rate of one year every three years.

The effective retirement age, meaning the actual average age at which Indonesian workers leave the workforce regardless of what the law says, sits at approximately 69. This gap of roughly 11 years between the statutory threshold and when workers actually stop working reflects economic necessity for lower-income workers and the limited reach of Indonesia’s formal pension coverage. The age dependency ratio (the proportion of non-working-age people relative to the working-age population) in Indonesia has historically been favorable for sustaining lower retirement ages, but is shifting as the country’s demographics mature.

Venezuela, North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan: Age 55 With Fragile Infrastructure

Venezuela, North Korea, Iran, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan all share a statutory retirement age of 55 for women and 60 for men, but the practical meaning of that threshold differs sharply across these countries.

In Venezuela, the age structure exists but the economy’s sustained hyperinflation and currency collapse have severely eroded the real value of pension payments. The formal retirement age of 55 for women and 60 for men is legally in place; the financial security it delivers is deeply compromised for most retirees.

North Korea maintains the same 55/60 structure, but the reclusive state provides no reliable public data on how pension benefits are funded, valued, or distributed. North Korea appears in global retirement age tables but cannot be substantively analyzed in terms of actual retirement security from publicly available sources.

Iran has a 55/60 retirement structure for women and men respectively, subject to years-of-service requirements that can complicate straightforward age-based access. Uzbekistan operates within a post-Soviet pension framework that has undergone gradual modernization since independence in 1991. Pakistan sets retirement at 55 for women and 60 for men for the private sector earnings-related pension, according to OECD data, within a system that faces growing pressure as approximately 15 million Pakistanis were already aged 65 or older as of 2019.

Four Reasons Countries Set Retirement Ages This Low

Countries with the world’s lowest retirement ages share a set of identifiable structural reasons that explain why their thresholds were established so far below today’s global norm.

The demographic youth argument, while historically accurate, is now expiring in virtually every country on this list. China’s life expectancy reached 78.6 years in 2023, more than 20 years longer than when its 50/55/60 retirement ages were established. The gap between when these rules were written and the reality of how long people now live is the primary engine driving every reform described in this article. Every country with a very low retirement age is either already raising it or is under formal pressure to do so.

Countries Currently Raising Their Retirement Ages: Reform Tracker (2025)

The global trend is firmly and uniformly in one direction. Every country that currently has a low statutory retirement age is either in an active reform process or has recently completed one.

France’s 2023 experience is instructive for understanding the political difficulty involved. Raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 triggered some of the most widespread protests France had seen in decades, with President Emmanuel Macron arguing the change was essential to prevent pension system insolvency. China’s strategy of raising retirement ages by a single month every few months is a direct response to the political lessons of blunt, immediate changes.

How These Retirement Ages Compare to the United States

American workers reach full retirement age at 67 for everyone born after 1960, qualifying for their complete Social Security benefit at that threshold. Early claiming is available from age 62 but carries a permanent monthly reduction in benefit payments. The United States sits above the OECD average of 64.7 for men and 63.9 for women.

The gap between U.S. retirement age and the world’s lowest-age countries is substantial. A Turkish worker eligible under the pre-1999 legacy scheme may be receiving a full state pension roughly 15 to 18 years before an American worker qualifies for their first full Social Security payment. The practical purchasing power of those pensions differs just as dramatically. Turkey’s minimum monthly pension of approximately $550 USD reflects a cost-of-living context where that amount provides a meaningful baseline. An American retiring at the same age would require a dramatically larger income stream to cover equivalent living expenses.

The OECD also distinguishes between the statutory retirement age and the effective retirement age, meaning the actual average age at which workers leave the labor force. In countries like Indonesia, where the effective age is approximately 69 against a statutory age of 58, workers remain employed well beyond the legal threshold due to economic necessity or insufficient pension coverage. A low statutory age does not automatically translate into a population that actually retires early.

What Americans Considering Retiring Abroad Need to Know

Moving to a country with a low statutory retirement age does not give Americans access to that country’s state pension, because pension eligibility is tied to contribution years within each country’s specific social insurance system. An American who moves to the Philippines at age 55 cannot access the Philippine pension, which requires decades of contributions from employment within the Philippine system.

What a country’s low retirement age does signal is the broader economic and cultural ecosystem surrounding early workforce exit. Countries like Colombia, Malaysia, and the Philippines with retirement thresholds in the 57 to 62 range tend to have established expat communities, lower costs of living relative to the United States, and social and healthcare infrastructure oriented around an older resident population. For Americans whose savings or investment income enable genuine early retirement, these systemic norms matter independently of any local pension benefit.

Americans living abroad can continue receiving U.S. Social Security payments in most countries starting from age 62 at a reduced rate or 67 for the full benefit. The Social Security Administration pays benefits to recipients in the vast majority of countries worldwide, with only a small number of exceptions including Cuba and North Korea.

Frequently Asked Questions

What country has the absolute lowest retirement age in the world?

Turkey has the lowest statutory retirement age of any country tracked by the OECD, with a normal retirement age of just 49 for women and 52 for men under its legacy pension scheme for workers who first enrolled in the national Social Security Institution before September 8, 1999. Under a 2023 reform, these workers can retire at any age once they have accumulated 20 years of coverage (women) or 25 years of coverage (men) and between 5,000 and 5,975 contribution days. The OECD’s Pensions at a Glance 2025 report identifies Turkey as a global outlier, sitting roughly 13 to 15 years below the next-lowest OECD members. Approximately 5 million Turkish workers became eligible for retirement under this legacy provision.

What is the retirement age in China right now in 2025?

China’s retirement ages are currently in gradual transition, with men retiring at or just above age 60, white-collar women at or just above 55, and blue-collar women at or just above 50, with each threshold rising by a few months every year under a reform that began on January 1, 2025. By 2040, the targets are 63 for men, 58 for female managers, and 55 for female blue-collar workers. Workers may voluntarily retire up to three years early after meeting the minimum pension contribution requirement. China’s main state pension fund faces potential depletion by 2035 without this intervention, which is the primary driver of the reform.

What is the lowest retirement age in Europe?

Turkey, which geographically spans both Europe and Asia, has the lowest retirement ages in Europe and globally at 49 for women and 52 for men under its legacy pension scheme. Within the European Union specifically, Luxembourg and Slovenia allow retirement as early as 60 for workers with at least 40 years of contributions. France sets a minimum retirement age of 62.5 years as of its 2023 reform, requiring 42.25 years of contributions for a full pension. Most EU member states are legislatively converging toward a standard retirement age of 65 to 67 by the early 2030s.

Can an American access a foreign pension by moving to a country with a low retirement age?

No. Moving to a country with a low statutory retirement age does not entitle an American to that country’s state pension, because pension eligibility everywhere is based on years of contributions paid into that specific country’s own social insurance system. What a low-retirement-age country does offer an American expat is a cost-of-living environment and cultural infrastructure built around earlier workforce exit, which can make personal savings and Social Security income stretch further. Americans abroad can receive U.S. Social Security from age 62 (reduced benefit) or 67 (full benefit) in most countries worldwide, with Cuba and North Korea among the small number of exceptions.

Why do developing countries have lower retirement ages than the United States?

Lower retirement ages in developing and middle-income countries typically reflect the demographic and economic realities that existed when those rules were originally written, including shorter life expectancies, younger national populations, labor forces concentrated in physically demanding industries, and pension systems designed for workers who could not realistically work past their late 50s. China established its retirement ages in the 1950s when national life expectancy was approximately 57 years; those same ages now look dramatically out of step with a life expectancy of 78.6 years. Nearly every country that set a low retirement age decades ago is now in a reform process driven by pension fund solvency concerns and demographic aging.

What is the OECD average retirement age in 2025?

According to the OECD’s Pensions at a Glance 2025 report, the average normal retirement age across OECD member countries in 2024 was 64.7 years for men and 63.9 years for women, calculated for workers who entered the labor market at age 22. Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Israel maintain the highest normal retirement ages in the OECD at 67. Turkey is the lowest at 49 (women) and 52 (men) under its legacy scheme, with Colombia at 57/62 being the next lowest among OECD members. The trend across all OECD countries is upward, driven by rising life expectancy and the fiscal pressure of supporting aging populations through pay-as-you-go pension systems.

Is it legal to retire before age 50 in any country?

Yes. In Turkey, under a 2023 reform applying to workers who first enrolled in the national social insurance system on or before September 8, 1999, there is no minimum age requirement for retirement once contribution thresholds are met: 20 years of insurance coverage for women and 25 years for men, combined with between 5,000 and 5,975 premium payment days. A worker who began contributing as a teenager and met those requirements could legally retire before reaching age 50 with full pension eligibility and no benefit reduction. This rule applies only to a specific historical cohort of Turkish workers, not the general population; Turkey’s standard retirement age for workers enrolled after 1999 is 58 for women and 60 for men.