Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Willing Retirees

Only about half (51%) of all current retirees say they retired because they wanted to. About a third (32%) say they had to retire for health or other reasons, and about one-in-ten (9%) say their employer forced them to retire. Even so, retirement gets high marks. More than half of all retirees (57%) say their retirement has turned out to be very satisfying; an additional 23% say it has been fairly satisfying. Only about one-in-six describe retirement as not too (10%) or not at all (6%) satisfying. But those who voluntarily retired are twice as likely as reluctant retirees to report that their retirement has turned out to be “very satisfying” (75% vs. 37%). Read More