Socioeconomic inequalities in survival to retirement age in Denmark: a register-based analysis

Abstract

Abstract Around the world, people are increasingly living to older ages. This challenges the sustainability of the pension systems. In Denmark, statutory retirement age increases gradually to account for changes in life expectancy. However, the chances of reaching retirement age are not equal across the Danish population, and raising the retirement age could disproportionally impact those of lower socioeconomic status. In this study, we investigated socioeconomic inequalities in mortality before reaching retirement age in Denmark and how a higher retirement age would affect survival to retirement across socioeconomic groups. We used Danish registry data over a 30-year period, focusing on 19 consecutive birth cohorts: 1936–1954. We assessed the probability of dying between age 50 and retirement age, set at 65 and 67, across socioeconomic groups using three dimensions of socioeconomic status: education, occupation, and income. We found that the gap in survival has widened over time between the lowest and highest socioeconomic groups for each indicator, driven mostly by limited or stagnant improvements in the lowest socioeconomic groups. Our findings show that raising the retirement age from 65 to 67 disproportionately affects individuals from lower socioeconomic groups, especially men, in absolute terms. Pension reforms that link retirement age to life expectancy are sharpening inequalities, as lower-SES groups are not only facing higher early mortality, but also experience much slower improvements in mortality.

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