Duration of working life averaged 37.2 years in 2024

In 2024, the expected average duration of working life for 15-year-olds and over in the EU was 37.2 years. However, the expected average duration of working life varied broadly among EU countries. In 6 EU countries, the average duration of working life was 40 years or higher: the Netherlands (43.8 years), Sweden (43.0), Denmark (42.5), Estonia (41.4), Ireland (40.4) and Germany (40.0). By contrast, the lowest working life durations were recorded in Romania (32.7 years), Italy (32.8) and Croatia, Greece and Bulgaria (each 34.8). This information comes from data on employment and unemployment published by Eurostat. This article presents some of the findings from the more detailed account in the related Statistics Explained article. Source dataset: lfsi_dwl_a For men, the expected duration of working life was on average 39.2 years in the EU, with the longest durations recorded in the Netherlands (45.7 years), Denmark (44.2), and Sweden (40.0 years), and the shortest in Romania (35.9), Croatia and Bulgaria (each 36.0). As for women, the average duration of working life in the EU was 35.0 years, with the longest durations recorded in Estonia (42.2), followed by Sweden (42.0) and the Netherlands (41.8). The shortest durations were registered in Italy (28.2), Romania (29.2) and Greece (31.1). Source dataset: lfsi_dwl_a In the last 10 years, the expected average duration of working life in the EU increased by 2.4 years, from 34.8 to the current 37.2 years.