Denmark is on track to set the highest retirement age in Europe after lawmakers approved a measure raising it to 70 by 2040, according to BBC News.

Under the law passed Thursday, the higher retirement age will apply to people born after 31 December 1970. Denmark currently sets its retirement age at 67, but this will increase to 68 in 2030 and 69 in 2035 as part of a long-standing system that links retirement age to life expectancy. The policy, in place since 2006, is reviewed every five years.

The bill was approved by a wide margin, with 81 legislators voting in favor and 21 against.

Despite the vote, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen previously signaled that the automatic increases may not be permanent.

"We no longer believe that the retirement age should be increased automatically," she said last year, adding that in her party's eyes "you can't just keep saying that people have to work a year longer".

The change has sparked strong opposition, particularly from blue-collar workers and labor groups. Tommas Jensen, a 47-year-old roofer, described the policy as unfair.

"We're working and working and working, but we can't keep going," he said.

Jensen added that while desk workers may cope better, physically demanding jobs make longer careers difficult.

"I've paid my taxes all my life. There should also be time to be with children and grandchildren," Mr Jensen told outlet DK.

Trade unions have staged protests in Copenhagen in recent weeks, warning that the policy risks undermining workers’ quality of life. Jesper Ettrup Rasmussen, head of a Danish trade union confederation, called the proposal unjust.

"Denmark has a healthy economy and yet the EU's highest retirement age," he said.

"A higher retirement age means that [people will] lose the right to a dignified senior life."

Across Europe, retirement ages vary but are generally rising as governments respond to longer life expectancy and fiscal pressures. In Sweden, pension benefits can be claimed starting at 63, while Italy’s standard retirement age is 67 and may rise again in 2026. In the UK, the pension age is currently 66, with gradual increases planned for younger generations.

France raised its retirement age from 62 to 64 in 2023, a deeply unpopular move that triggered widespread protests and was pushed through parliament by President Emmanuel Macron without a vote.