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, have their first child 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 different years, most recently 2019. Ages are calculated separately for men and women.
Average age at first child also comes from the UN Population Division and is only available for 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. 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.
