---
title: "Appendix A: Marriage and retirement statistics"
description: "To help place the ideal ages provided by respondents in context, we compiled data on when in life people around the world actually get married and become eligible for certain retirement benefits. Average age at first marriage comes from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Population Division. Data points come from […]"
date: "2025-03-19"
authors:
  - name: "Janell Fetterolf"
    job_title: "Former Senior Researcher"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/janell-fetterolf/"
  - name: "Christine Huang"
    job_title: "Former Research Associate"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/christine-huang/"
  - name: "Jordan Lippert"
    job_title: "Research Analyst"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/jordan-lippert/"
  - name: "Sofia Hernandez Ramones"
    job_title: "Research Assistant"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/sofia-hernandez-ramones/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2025/03/19/appendix-a-marriage-and-retirement-statistics/"
categories:
  - "Age & Generations"
  - "Economic Conditions"
  - "Happiness & Life Satisfaction"
  - "Homeownership & Renting"
  - "International Issues"
  - "Marriage & Divorce"
  - "Parenthood"
  - "Retirement"
datasets:
  - name: "American Trends Panel Wave 145"
    url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/dataset/american-trends-panel-wave-145/"
  - name: "Spring 2024 Survey Data"
    url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/dataset/spring-2024-survey-data/"
---

# Appendix A: Marriage and retirement statistics

To help place the ideal ages provided by respondents in context, we compiled data on when in life people around the world actually get married and become eligible for certain retirement benefits.

[![A table showing Marriage, childbirth and retirement statistics, by country](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/pg_2025.03.19_life-stages_a_a_01.png?w=420)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=202376)

Average age at first marriage comes from the [United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Population Division](https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/data/world-marriage-data). Data points come from different years, most recently 2019. Ages are calculated separately for men and women.

In this analysis, we use the minimum age at which people in a country become eligible for age-based pensions as that country’s actual “retirement age.” This information comes from the [International Social Security Association](https://www.issa.int/databases/country-profiles). Notably, not everyone who meets a country’s age requirements will be eligible for retirement benefits, including people who may work in informal employment; these people are often not considered part of the labor force.

---

**Next:** [Appendix B: Best age to get married, by country](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2025/03/19/appendix-b-best-age-to-get-married-by-country.md)