Pension Reforms and Protests

Why raising France's retirement age from 62 to 64 in 2023 triggered months of mass protests, and the economics of pay-as-you-go pensions in an ageing society.

France’s pension system is pay-as-you-go: today’s workers fund today’s retirees.

The problem

Ageing: more retirees per worker.
Early retirement ages compared with other countries.
Pensions cost around 14 percent of GDP.

The 2023 reform

President Macron raised the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64.
The government pushed it through parliament using Article 49.3, bypassing a vote.

Protests

Months of strikes and demonstrations.
Rubbish piled up in Paris during refuse workers’ strikes.
Polls showed most French people opposed the reform.

Economics

Raising the age improves finances by keeping people working longer.
Critics said it was unfair to manual workers who start work young and have shorter lives.

Comparison

Many countries have raised retirement ages to 65 or 67.

Later

In 2025, the government proposed pausing the reform amid political instability.

The rubbish strike

In spring 2023, bins overflowed on Paris streets as refuse collectors struck against the pension reform.

Thinking pension reforms are purely technical

France's reform triggered mass protests.

Key takeaways

France's pensions are pay-as-you-go.
The 2023 reform raised the retirement age from 62 to 64.
It triggered months of mass protests.
Ageing makes such reforms necessary but contentious.