DON’T MISS
IamExpat FairIamExpat Job BoardIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Career
Dutch news & articles
Fewer workers in the Netherlands retired in 2022 than in 2021
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

Fewer workers in the Netherlands retired in 2022 than in 2021

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

July 2020: 10 things changing from todayJuly 2020: 10 things changing from today
The Dutch pension system is the best in the world...again!The Dutch pension system is the best in the world...again!
What is Keti Koti? How the Netherlands commemorates the abolition of slaveryWhat is Keti Koti? How the Netherlands commemorates the abolition of slavery
Vaderdag: A history of Father’s Day in the Netherlands and abroadVaderdag: A history of Father’s Day in the Netherlands and abroad
Anne Frank: The girl who lived in the most famous house in AmsterdamAnne Frank: The girl who lived in the most famous house in Amsterdam
Why is Ascension day (Hemelvaart) a public holiday in the Netherlands?Why is Ascension day (Hemelvaart) a public holiday in the Netherlands?
Heksennacht: Why women in the Netherlands march to reclaim the night on May 19Heksennacht: Why women in the Netherlands march to reclaim the night on May 19
Germany vs the Netherlands: An expat's guideGermany vs the Netherlands: An expat's guide
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usSitemap
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat FairsWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Jun 13, 2023
Victoria Séveno
Victoria grew up in Amsterdam, before moving to the UK to study English and Related Literature at the University of York and completing her NCTJ course at the Press Association in London. She has a love for all things movies, animals, and food. Read more

Recent figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reveal that, in 2022, 12 percent fewer workers in the Netherlands started to claim pensions compared to 2021. The average retirement age last year was 65 years and eight months. 

CBS: 84.000 workers went on pension last year

According to the Dutch statistics office, a total of 84.000 workers went on pension in 2022, marking a 12 percent decrease from the previous year. Furthermore, the average age of those retiring has risen by three months since 2021, up to 65 years and eight months - almost equal to the 2020 average of 65 years and seven months.

As CBS reports, this means that around 49 percent of retirees in 2022 retired ahead of the state pension age of 66 years and 7 months. Interestingly, between 2002 and 2006, around 90 percent of those retiring were younger than the retirement age at the time - 65 years. Since 2007, however, “an increasingly smaller proportion of people retired earlier than the state pension age.”

Average retirement age in the Netherlands now over 65

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the lowest average age of retirement was among those working in public administration (i.e. civil servants working for the government or municipalities). In this sector, the average retirement age in 2022 was 65,1 years.

Those working in the Dutch healthcare sector or in education also had lower-than-average retirement ages last year (65,2 and 65,4 years respectively). Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum are those working in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, with an average age of 66,6 years. CBS states that 2022 marks the first year where the average retirement age across all industries was over 65. 

Dutch workers open to the idea of working for longer

Research conducted by CBS also reveals that those with jobs in the Netherlands are planning to work longer than their predecessors. Workers aged between 45 and 65 indicated that they intend to work until an average age of 65,1 years. Just eight years ago, this figure was 64,3 years. 

85 percent of those aged 45 to 65 also stated that they would be willing to work longer if their working conditions changed - for example, if they reduced their number of hours or switched to doing less (physically) demanding work.

Thumb: Henk Vrieselaar via Shutterstock.com.

By Victoria Séveno