site.btaBulgaria Among Countries with Shortest Duration of Working Life in EU Last Year

Bulgaria is among the EU Member States with the shortest working life duration in the European Union last year. In 2024, the average duration in the EU was 37.2 years, compared to 34.8 years in Bulgaria, Croatia, and Greece. It was shorter only in Romania (32.7 years) and Italy (32.8), show the latest Eurostat data released on Friday. 

Last year, six EU Member States had a duration of working life exceeding 40 years: the Netherlands (43.8 years), Sweden (43.0 years), Denmark (42.5 years), Estonia (41.4 years), Ireland (40.4 years), and Germany (40.0 years).

The expected duration of working life for men in the EU is 39.2 years on average. The shortest duration was recorded in Romania (35.9%), Croatia and Bulgaria (36.0 years each), while the longest was observed in the Netherlands (45.7 years), Denmark (44.2 years), and Sweden (40.0 years).

The expected duration of working life for women in the EU is 35.0 years on average. The longest duration was registered in Estonia (42.2 years), followed by Sweden (42.0 years) and the Netherlands (41.8 years). The shortest duration was observed in Italy (28.2 years), Romania (29.2 years), and Greece (31.1 years).

Over the last ten years, the expected duration of working life has increased, from 34.9 years in 2015 to 37.2 years in 2024, Eurostat reported.