People reaching retirement in Greece can expect about 21 years of life after pension age if they are men and 24.4 years if they are women, based on 2024 OECD retirement-age rules paired with Eurostat life expectancy data. Both figures are 2.6 years above the EU averages of 18.4 years for men and 21.8 years for women.
The OECD uses 62 as Greece’s normal retirement age for international comparisons. Its model assumes a worker began a full career at 22 and completed 40 years of contributions by 62. Greek law also allows a full pension at 67 with at least 15 years of insurance. A reduced pension may be available at 62 with at least 15 years, subject to additional conditions.
Retirement in Greece can stretch more than 20 years beyond pension age
Official data show that actual retirement often happens later than the OECD benchmark. The European Commission’s 2024 Ageing Report put the average age for people starting an old-age, early or disability pension in Greece at 63.8 in 2022. The average was 63.6 for men and 64.1 for women.
That later starting point changes the picture. Using the age at which people actually leave the labor market, the Commission estimated that men had about 19.5 years of life remaining after retirement, while women had about 22.6 years.
The difference mainly comes down to when the count begins. Starting at 62 produces more retirement years than starting closer to 64. Neither measure predicts the exact length of one person’s retirement or how long that person will receive pension payments.
No retirement age increase set for 2027
Greece reviews retirement ages in connection with changes in life expectancy at age 65. In February 2026, the Labor Ministry said there was no expected increase in the country’s retirement age limits for 2027. It also said recent Greek data had not confirmed increases contained in earlier long-term projections.
The OECD still projects Greece’s normal retirement age could eventually reach 66 under current rules linking future changes to longevity. That is a long-term projection, not a change taking effect in 2027.
Receiving a pension also does not always mean leaving work completely. Since Jan. 1, 2024, pensioners who remain in insured employment generally keep their full main and supplementary pensions instead of facing the previous 30% reduction, although exceptions apply.
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