The official age of retirement is creeping upwards in most countries as governments try to balance pensions and stretched public finances. But while many governments want us to work until we are 67, the age that people are actually retiring is often lower than you might think. Using the latest OECD data (unless specified) we reveal the countries that actually work the longest.

South Africans retire at 60, on average, according to South Africa Governement Services. The government doesn't impose an official age as such, so it is left to employees to liaise with employers to find an 'agreed' age of retirement.

In France, women on average retire at 60.6 years old, which is just a little later than men, who typically retire at 60.5 years old. This is below the official retirement age of 62, but that was a recent increase. That said, the age when you can receive the full state pension amount is actually five years later, at 67, as the French government wants to encourage people to work later.

On average Greek men retire just after they turn 61, while Greek women stop working just before they reach 60 years old. So it's not surprising that Greece sparked protests by raising its official retirement age to 67 in 2017, a two-year increase to the official retirement age for men and a staggering five-year rise for women. It was part of a cost-cutting drive after the country was bailed out by other European countries. Some voters elsewhere in Europe resented helping the Greek government when many of its citizens were drawing pensions in their 50s.

Belgian men and women retire officially at 65, but most people actually retire several years before through early retirement schemes, and the average effective age for men is 61.7 years old, while women tend to leave work just after they turn 60. The country’s historically-generous state pension scheme was shaken up in 2011, when the early retirement age was increased to 62 and workers were forced to contribute for 40 years in order to receive the full amount. The official pension age will rise to 66 from 2025 and 67 from 2030, measures which have proved highly unpopular, with strikes and protests across the country.

Bucking the global trend, the Polish government recently slashed its retirement age from 67 to 65 for men and 60 for women. The move by the right-wing Law and Justice Party proved popular with voters as the last government had increased the retirement age in 2012. The new retirement age reflects reality as most male Poles actually work until they are 62.7, whereas Polish women already stop work at 60 on average.

The average age men retire in Italy is just after their 62nd birthday, while women work until they are 61. But officially Italian men can retire at 66 years and 7 months and women a year earlier. A previous government tried to save money by proposing people retire at 67 in 2011. But most recently the coalition of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and far-right League Party controversally reversed the planned increase. The retirement age will now be lowered to 62 for people who have paid into the Italian pension system for at least 38 years.

The official retirement age in Spain is being gradually increased from 65 to 67 by 2027, but on average Spaniards are taking retirement at 61.9 (men at 62.2 and women at 61.6). The government had been under pressure from investors and international bodies to keep people working longer to cut public spending. Unions threatened to strike over the rise, but caved in after the government said workers could still retire at 65 if they had at least 38 years of contributions.

Men and women in the Netherlands can currently give up work at 66, but the real average age Dutch people leave work is lower at 63.25 years old (63.8 years for men, and 62.7 for women). Despite this, the government is set to gradually increase the retirement age to 67 in 2021, amid concern over the costs of an aging population. The government is also trying to incentivize citizens to work longer, with higher contributions for those still employed above pension age and bonuses for employers who hire them.

Finnish men and women are encouraged to draw their pension from just after their 65th birthday, and there are big incentives to retire as late as 68. However, the rules let them retire earlier from 63, and with an average retirement age of 63.8 for men and 63.1 for women a lot of Finns are making the most of this opportunity.

German men and women can currently draw their pension at 65, though the average German stops working at 63.5. The retirement age is 65 for people born before 1947, 67 for anyone born after 1964 and somewhere in the middle on a rising scale for people born in between. Politicians have even considered increasing the retirement age to 69 in decades to come in a bid to manage Germany’s aging population. So far though there are no concrete plans to do so.

The official age Danish men and women can retire is 65, but this is due to gradually increase to 67 by 2022. After that, the retirement age will be linked to increases in life expectancy. In reality, the average Dane leaves the workplace after at age 63.7, meaning that they are retiring more than a year before they can benefit from Denmark's pension scheme, the world's best according to Melbourne Mercer's Pension Index. 

In China the average age of retirement is 64 years old. This is nearly 10 years later than the official age, which is 50 for women and 60 for men, with citizens able to receive their full entitlement at the age of 55. With people working later and later into old age, there are concerns younger generations may not be able to find work. There are plans to raise the retirement age gradually for both men and women to 65 by 2045.

The retirement age in the UK is currently 65, and most work until a few months before they can draw their pension, with the average real retirement age at 64.5. Women saw a controversially steep rise in their pension age from 60 to 65 in the last three years. Both sexes currently face a gradual hike to 66 by October 2020, and another rise to 68 by 2039 at the latest.

10 best places to retire in the UK

Argentine men can currently retire at 65 and women at 60, though on average most retire at 64.5, as long as they have at least 30 years of contributions and service. A plan to increase the pension age to 70 for men and 63 for women sparked violent protests in 2017 but was passed by lawmakers. The government also proposed people should carry on working as long as necessary to reach the 30-year threshold. Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri hoped to cut public spending to win the support of foreign investors.

Canadians can draw a means-tested state pension from 65, as long as they have lived in the country for 40 years. The system is flexible though, with workers able to take less money from 60 or an increased pension if they delay it until their late 60s. The average age isn't too far off the recommended age, with people retiring at 64.75, which works out at 66 for men and 63.5 for women. The previous government had planned to delay retirement until 67 from 2023, but current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau scrapped the measure.

Discover Canada's best places to retire

Norway’s state pension age has been 67 for men and women since the 1970s, but most men stop working at the age of 65.4 and women even earlier at 64.1. Nowadays the retirement age is flexible for earnings-related pensions, which Norwegians can draw from as early as their 62nd birthday. There are no plans to raise the retirement age any higher.

The Australian government has recently increased the official pension age: people born before 1952 can retire at 65, but those born after that face gradual increases until it reaches 67 in 2023. The Liberal Party had tried to increase the retirement age to 70, but other parties shied away from an even bigger hike. But when do they actually retire? In reality, Australians retire much later at 64.9.

In Switzerland, the average retirement age is 65.7 for men and 64.3 for women, which combined makes an average of 65. This is in line with the official retirement age of 65 for men and 64 for women. However, the Swiss state pension offers a flexible pension age, and pensions can be drawn much earlier but with lower entitlements, or up to five years later with much bigger payments.

The average retirement age in Romania is 65 years old, according to the National Revenue Agency. This matches the official age for Romanian men, who can draw their pension from 65, while women can draw it four years earlier, and some mothers even earlier if they meet certain criteria. However, the retirement age for women is set to gradually increase to 63 years by 2030, and recent reforms have set the minimum contribution at 15 years, and the full contribution threshold at 35 years. The reforms reflected fears about the inadequate size of the country’s pension pot. High unemployment, significant emigration and widespread early retirement in the 1990s left Romania struggling to balance the books.

Men and women in Ireland can both draw their pension from 66, with most men retiring once they turn 66, while women leave work earlier at the age of 64.2 on average. The retirement age is due to rise to 68 from 2028, one of the highest in the world. The government also recently increased the compulsory age at which civil servants retire from 65 to 70, allowing government workers to work longer if they wish.

Swedish people can draw their means-tested state pension at 61 via the country's flexible earnings-related scheme, although the guaranteed pension age is 65. However, the lowest pension age is due to rise to 64 and to 67 for the guaranteed pension by 2026 . This will likely only have a limited impact on many Swedes though, as the average age people leave the workplace is already 65.65.

Turkey’s official retirement age is 60 for men and 58 for women, but most work beyond that until 66. The pension age is gradually rising to 65 for both men and women by 2044 at the latest. Turkey's system actually allows for people who started contributing to a pension in the late 1970s and have at least 25 years of payments to retire at 44 should they choose.

The average American retirement age is 67.6 for men and 66.1 for women, but the rules vary depending on citizens’ age. Anyone born before 1938 can retire at 65, while those born after 1959 have to work until they are 67. The retirement age increases gradually up to 67 for those born in-between. Many Americans over 65 switch to part-time work rather than leaving the workforce altogether.

On average Portuguese men retire at 69.6 years old, while women leave work at 65.6. Officially men and women can both expect to retire at 66 years and 3 months, though this will increase to 67 in 2029. The age increased in 2017 because of rising life expectancy and pressure to save money after Portugal received an international bailout in 2011.

On average people in Israel work until they are just shy of 68, with men working until they are almost 70 and women 65.7. This is higher than the official ages set by the government, which says men should retire at 67 and women at 62. Politicians voted to increase women’s retirement age over a decade ago but have been reluctant to make the proposal a reality, according to the Haaretz newspaper.

Icelandic men and women have some of the longest life expectancies on the planet, but have long had to work until they are 67. Research suggests Icelanders tend to save effectively for retirement, unlike many other countries. However, most men actually stop working only shortly before their 70th birthday, and women at 66.6, meaning that on average Icelanders work longer than they officially have to.

Read Rich countries where people are facing a poor retirement

There is no official retirement age in New Zealand, but pension payments start at the age of 65. On average both men and women are working beyond that age, with women leaving work just before they turn 67 and men nearly working to their 70th birthday. There are plans to raise the pension age to 67 in the late 2030s. The residency rules to qualify for a state pension are also expected to change, with pensioners required to have lived in the country for at least 20 years, rather than 10 as previously.

Mexico’s retirement age is 65 for men and women, but early retirement is possibly from 60. However, in reality the average age people leave the workplace is much higher at 69. Why? Workers need to have paid in for about 24 years to receive a pension, but less than a third of the working population is expected to qualify, as many are in casual work and have not made enough, or any, contributions. Anyone who has not paid in enough gets the money back as one lump sum instead.

Perhaps it's not surprising that Japan's citizens work until they're nearly 70 on average, as their life expectancy is among the highest in the world and the country already has one of the oldest populations. Citizens are actually allowed to draw their pension at the age of 62, but men often working past the age of 70 and women until the age of 69.3. Now the government plans to let people delay drawing their pension until their 70s in a bid to save money and keep people in work longer.

South Korea comes in with the longest working life of exactly 73 years. Both men and women work on average 13 years longer than the official retirement age of 60. Why? The country is known for its long life expectancies, but also its poverty. Almost half of its citizens aged over 65 now live in relative poverty, which means that they may have to keep working later into their lives.

Now discover Secret places to move to for a low-tax retirement