Figures from the HR service provider Partena Professional show that during the first three months of 2025 Belgians retired an average of 6 months earlier than they did during the first three months of 2024. This is despite the legal retirement age having been raised from 65 to 66 at the start of this year.
Despite an increase in the legal retirement age, the average at which people in Belgium retire has actually fell
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The average age of those that retired between 1 January and 31 March 2025 was 63 years and 11 months. A year earlier the average age of those that retired was 64 years and 5 months. The fall in the average age at which people retire is all the more remarkable as at the start of the year the legal retirement age increased from 65 to 66. It will be raised to 67 at the start of 2030.
In a press release Partena Professional said “It is striking that for the first time in years, the actual age at which people retire is displaying a sharp fall”.
Partena Professional’s Yves Stox says that the public debate on pension reform in recent months has made those in employment more aware of their options. It may also have led some workers to accelerate their move towards early retirement.