In Latvia, men live on average until the age of 70, and spend even fewer years in good health. Against this backdrop, is it reasonable to discuss raising the retirement age?
While some countries, including Denmark, have already decided on retirement at the age of 70, such a step is currently not on the agenda in Latvia, said Minister of Welfare Reinis Uzulnieks (ZZS) in the TV24 program Ziņu TOP.
The minister explained that Latvia has just completed its transition to raising the retirement age to 65, and no further steps are being planned:
“As long as I am Minister of Welfare, this will not be a priority,”
he emphasized.
Denmark’s example has sparked debate—there, it has been decided to set the retirement age at 70. However, Uzulnieks is skeptical about applying such a model to Latvia, where about 100,000 pensioners continue working even now. “Will they be able to do that at 70? Hardly,” he said.
He also pointed out during the Ziņu TOP program that many men begin to experience health issues already after the age of 55. “Healthy life expectancy in Latvia is among the lowest in Europe. Perhaps we need to invest more in health or change our lifestyle,” the minister acknowledged, while not ruling out that the issue may become relevant again in the future.
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