Louise Sallé 6:35 a.m., January 10, 2023, modified at 6:36 a.m., January 10, 2023

Among the poorest 5% of French men, a third of them have already died by the age of 65.

And nearly 30% of men belonging to the socio-professional category of workers are physically limited in their daily activities.

Retirement at 64 or 65?

The question is on the government's table.

The reform plans to encourage the French to work longer, and to stop later.

But under what physical conditions?

At age 65, the French have, on average, about ten years of life expectancy in good health ahead of them.

But at that age, many French people are already diminished, especially within the lowest socio-professional categories. 

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Disability-free life expectancy

This is revealed by an indicator called "disability-free life expectancy".

This corresponds to the average lifespan of a person before they are limited in their daily activities.

Currently, nearly a quarter of French people are physically limited one year after the start of their retirement, according to the Ministry of Health.

A figure that rises to a third for workers.

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A third of the poorest men have already died by the age of 65

As far as mortality is concerned, the sociological differences are even more striking since at age 65, a third of the poorest have in fact already died.

"Around 30% of the poorest 5% have already died by the age of 65, while this is the case for 6% of the wealthiest 5%", comments Sylvie Le Minez, head of the demographic and social studies at INSEE.

"There is therefore a probability of dying before the age of 65 which is approximately five times higher for the most modest men, compared to the wealthiest men", she specifies.

The most modest women are four times more likely to die before the age of 65, compared to the wealthiest women.