It’s good to be old

In Western countries, and more specifically in Europe, we are observing, not without real concern, the intersection of two demographic curves: that of the birth rate, which is constantly falling, and that related to deaths, linked to the ageing of the baby-boom generation, which is steadily increasing. The major consequence of this is the predicted decline in the number of people living in Europe. To say that the senior population is the focus of much attention is an understatement. In 2016, the Observatoire Cetelem was already looking closely at the people who make up the silver economy.

Ten years on, who are today’s senior citizens and how are they doing?

THE AGE TO STOP WORKING

Ten years ago, the first Observatoire Cetelem devoted to seniors highlighted the diverse interpretations that this term encapsulates (professional, political, medical, social, etc.). The study devoted to them set the ‘senior’ floor at the age of 50, without, of course, setting any limit to the ceiling. In other words, it covered the generation now known as boomers. For this 2026 edition, we set out to find out what Europeans thought about this age. According to them, people become seniors at 62, on average.

There are relatively significant differences between countries and generations.

There is a 10-point gap between the Italians, for whom it takes a long time to become a senior citizen, and the Romanians, for whom it happens early.

There are 4 points between the 18-34 age group and the 65+ age group (60.3 years old vs 64.7 years old).

In the following pages, we consider seniors to be people aged 60 and over.

EUROPE’S POPULATION IS AGEING AT AN ACCELERATING RATE

For over 10 years, the curves for births and deaths have been moving in opposite directions, increasingly confirming the fact that the European population is aging. Even in France, a country where the birth rate stayed resilient for a long time, the balance is now negative, with a spectacular fall in births.

AN ASSET WE ARE LUCKY TO COUNT ON

While seniors are taking on an increasingly significant numerical weight in society, this phenomenon is seen as a major asset. For 7 out of 10 Europeans surveyed, they represented an asset for a country.

The British, Germans and Spanish were the most ardent defenders of their positive influence, while in Eastern Europe, this view barely secured half the votes.

There is a certain gap between generations. Only 58% of under-30s saw seniors as an asset, compared with 71% of over-60s.

A MAJOR NATIONAL CHALLENGE

The good fortune of being able to rely on seniors is widely recognised by Europeans. The issue of ageing is even more so. 85% of Europeans expressly stated its importance, considering it to be important or even very important.

In Portugal, a clear majority (62%) considered it to be very important, with the same observed in Italy (48%), where this issue was also strongly emphasised.

These are two countries in the study where the median age of the population is highest.All generations agreed on the subject’s sensitive nature. 90% of over-60s considered the issue of ageing to be important or very important, compared with 78% of under-30s.

AGEING CAUSES CONCERN

The impact of ageing on a country’s future is becoming multifaceted. The most negative effects relate to the healthcare system (66%), which received the majority of votes in all

countries (see next section).

The Italians, Portuguese, Germans and Romanians were the most pessimistic, while the British and Swedes once again agreed, displaying more measured concerns.

There is also a clear generational divide. While 8 out of 10 senior citizens were concerned about the negative impact of ageing on the healthcare system, only 52% of the under-30s shared their concerns.

The issues of economic growth, the country’s competitiveness and employment come next in the ranking, with seniors once again more concerned than younger generations.