Diverging Frailty Trajectories After Retirement: The Protective Role of Education

Retirement is a life-course transition that reshapes daily routines, social engagement, and exposure to stressors that influence later-life health. However, little is known about how frailty, an integrative indicator of biological aging, changes around retirement or whether patterns differ by education. This study examined frailty trajectories among Korean adults using seven waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Distributed fixed-effects models estimated within-person changes before and after retirement, with frailty measured with a 41-item index across physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains. Frailty remained stable prior to retirement but increased significantly during the first 2 years afterward, with elevated levels persisting. Increases were larger and sustained among individuals with lower education, whereas higher-educated retirees experienced smaller and temporary changes. Findings suggest that retirement marks a pivotal period in the accumulation of health deficits and that education serves as a protective factor, highlighting the need for policies supporting equitable post-retirement resources.