Recent findings from Moscow State University MV Lomonosov in collaboration with the Federal Research Center for Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences reveal a striking moment in how Russians perceive aging. Across a broad cross-section of the population, the typical sense of when old age begins sits at about 70.7 years, a benchmark reported by RBC.
These conclusions emerged from a survey of roughly 1,200 people spanning 65 Russian regions, diverse ages, marital statuses, and income levels. Respondents were asked to identify the age they consider the start of old age and to describe any differences they see between men and women regarding when aging begins.
The study highlights how personal health, youth, and gender shape beliefs about aging. Participants with healthier lifestyles tend to push the start of old age further into the future, while younger respondents often anticipate reaching old age sooner than their elders. Women, on average, believe aging begins later than men, reflecting differing expectations or experiences tied to gender.
The research comes in the context of demographic shifts in Russia, where population aging is a long‑standing trend. Projections around retirement and pension eligibility have long been a central policy focus. In 2023, forecasts anticipated a rise in the number of retirees, with estimates suggesting an increase on the order of about 1.1 million people, followed by around 569 thousand in 2024.
These figures intersect with policy changes that have shaped pension practice. A 2019 reform plan set the stage for adjustments to retirement timing, with implications for when men and women could qualify for old‑age pensions. The transitional period, during which pension rights were assigned about six months before the official retirement age, influenced how benefits were drawn and when they were claimed.
Another policy development involved changes to pension delivery. A law approved by the leadership in Russia outlined a system in which pension payments could be distributed through the national postal service.
Taken together, the study offers a window into how people in a large, diverse country think about aging, retirement, and the social roles tied to later life. The findings underscore the gap between subjective perceptions of aging and the evolving reality of pension policy, health trends, and lifelong work patterns. In Canada and the United States, readers may see parallel conversations about when society defines someone as officially entering retirement and how health, gender, and socioeconomic status influence those judgments. The ongoing dialogue around aging remains a key element of public policy and individual planning alike, inviting closer attention to how expectations of old age shape behavior, healthcare needs, and financial security for upcoming generations.