Where America's Pension System Ranks in the World

Not so great: It's No. 22 out of 47 nations ranked
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 19, 2023 4:05 PM CDT
Where America's Pension System Ranks in the World
   (Getty / dolgachov)

An annual assessment of the world's pension systems finds the US to be in "meh" territory. America ranked No. 22 out of 47 nations in the Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index, with an overall grade out of 63 out of 100, or C+. "In the US, there's good coverage of white-collar workers through employer systems—but what about the gig workers? What about the blue-collar workers?" says lead author David Knox of Mercer, per the Wall Street Journal. No. 1 Netherlands was lauded for its three-pronged system: a public pension for all retirees, a "semi-mandatory requirement" for employers to provide a pension, and the ability for workers to have their own retirement investments, per the Journal. The top 10, with only the top four nations scoring an A grade:

  1. Netherlands, A, 85 out of 100
  2. Iceland, A, 83.5
  3. Denmark, A, 81.3
  4. Israel, A, 80.8
  5. Australia, B+, 77.3
  6. Finland, B+, 76.6
  7. Singapore, B+, 76.3
  8. Norway, B, 74.4,
  9. Sweden, B, 74.0
  10. United Kingdom, B, 73.0
See the full rankings, with Argentina bringing up the rear at 42.3, good for a grade of D. (Or check out other lists.)

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