Many recent policy reforms aimed to delay retirement. Such a delay seems important because population ageing makes it a necessity for financially sound pension schemes and a sufficiently large workforce. However, pension reforms do not only affect when people retire, they likewise affect what influences the realized retirement age. Moreover, the 2008 economic crisis restructured labour markets, thereby affecting retirement. This article investigates recent shifts in the realized retirement age and influences on it. It does this through multilevel analyses of international data from the survey of health, ageing and retirement in Europe. It compares individuals who retired in 2005/2006 to those who retired in 2012/2013, thereby identifying changes over time. [---]