Duration of working life in Cyprus at 39 years in 2023 according to Eurostat

In 2023, the expected average duration of working life for 15-year-olds in Cyprus stood at 39 years, above the EU average which stood at 36.9 years, according to data published by Eurostat.

The duration of working life exceeded 40 years in some countries. The highest were recorded in the Netherlands (43.7 years), Sweden (43.1 years) and Denmark (41.3 years).

By contrast, the lowest working life durations were recorded in Romania (32.2 years), Italy (32.9 years) and Croatia (34.0 years).

Also, the data showed longer working lives for men than women on average in 2023 across the EU.

For men, the expected duration of working life was on average 39.0 years in the EU, with the longest durations recorded in the Netherlands (45.7 years), Sweden (44.1 years), Denmark and Ireland (both 42.8 years), and the shortest in Croatia (35.4), Bulgaria and Romania (both 35.6 years).  

For women, the average duration of working life in the EU was 34.7 years, with the longest durations recorded in Sweden (41.9 years), followed by the Netherlands and Estonia (both 41.5 years), with the shortest in Italy (28.3 years), Romania (28.5 years) and Greece (30.6 years). 

In Cyprus, the average duration of working life for men stood at 41.6 years and for women at 36.3 years in 2023.

Since 2013, the expected average duration of working life steadily increased in the EU. Then it declined for the first time in 2020 linked to the COVID-19 health crisis (from 34.7 years in 2013 to 35.9 years in 2019, then down to 35.6 years in 2020). In 2021, it came back to its pre-pandemic level.

In Cyprus, the expected average duration of working life stood at 36.3 years in 2013, increased to 36.7 in 2014, but then dropped gradually until 2016 (36.0), before picking up once more up to 2019 (37.4). In 2020, a drop similar to the rest of the EU was recorded (37.1). However, the duration increased beyond pre-pandemic levels in 2021 (37.7) and has risen further since.

(Source: CNA)