Work till you're 70, no problem

LAW: DENMARK ONLY RELEASES FULL PENSIONS THEN

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In Denmark, Kirsten Evans is among the first group of Danes who will have to wait until age 70 to retire with a full pension; however, she has no intention of waiting that long.

Denmark's parliament adopted a law in May that raises the retirement age to 70 by 2040, from the current age of 67.

Evans, a 53-year-old bank employee with a solid financial footing, said she plans to retire around 65 or 66—even if it means she won't earn a full pension.

"I think 70 is old," she said. "You want to benefit on the other end and still have a good life afterwards."

As many Western countries grapple with how to stretch pensions to cover aging populations, Denmark indexed the official retirement age to life expectancy in 2006 and has revised it every five years.

In 2030, the retirement age will increase to 68 and in 2035, it will rise to 69.

Those born after December 31, 1970—including Evans—will have to wait until age 70.

Few people actually work to the legal retirement age in Denmark. In 2022, when the official retirement age was 67, the actual average retirement age was around 64, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).