Impact of Retirement on Health : Evidence from 35 Countries

This study aimed to explore the impact of retirement on health through the application of a fixed effects instrumental variable model to harmonized longitudinal data obtained from 35 countries. Women exhibited improved cognitive function, physical independence, and self-rated health after retirement. Consistently, retirement was associated with reduced physical inactivity and smoking among women, which was not observed among men. Sex differences in post-retirement health behaviors may induce heterogeneous effects on health. Given the current global trend of increasing state pension age, the promotion of healthy behaviors could mitigate potential adverse effects of delayed retirement on health