A new report by Blacktower Financial Management Group, published today, has revealed the world's best state pension systems in 2021 with the UK is lagging behind in 25th place
Finland ranked top country for pensions, followed by Poland and Sweden, with the UK falling short of the mark, ranking 25th on the index. Korea comes in last out of all the countries indexed. The report has been calculated based on various factors including average retirement age and contributions.
Retirees have put in decades of time and effort as part of their working life to prepare for retirement, counting on their pension to help maintain a comfortable future. However, the quality of state pensions varies drastically based on where you live - But which countries around the world have the best systems?
Blacktower Financial Management said that its report into pension systems around the globe in 2021 uses key metrics, such as public spending, average retirement ages, average pension contributions and the percentage of the population who have participated in pension schemes.
Gavin Pluck, group managing director at Blacktower Financial Management, said: "Our research reveals the world's best countries for pension systems, this research is something to seriously considered when deciding which country to go live and work overseas.
"Inevitably, this will impact your future pension, meaning you may have to work for longer to fund your comfortable retirement depending on which country you live in."
The top 15 countries for the best pension systems globally can be found below:
|
Ranking |
Country |
Public expenditure on pensions (% of GDP) |
Normal retirement age by type of pension scheme |
Pension contributions as a % of average wage |
Participation in funded pensions as a % of working population |
|
1 |
Finland |
13.4 |
67.9 |
24.4 |
89.8 |
|
2 |
Poland |
11.2 |
65 |
27.52 |
66.2 |
|
3 |
Sweden |
8.2 |
65 |
21.71 |
100 |
|
4 |
Slovenia |
10.9 |
62 |
24.35 |
39.1 |
|
5 |
France |
15 |
65 |
27.5 |
24.5 |
|
6 |
Latvia |
7.4 |
65 |
20 |
100 |
|
7 |
Greece |
17.3 |
62 |
20 |
1.3 |
|
8 |
Czech Republic |
8.2 |
65 |
28 |
52.1 |
|
9 |
Switzerland |
9.8 |
65 |
16.6 |
73.6 |
|
10 |
Israel |
5.3 |
62 |
13.81 |
80.7 |
|
11 |
Italy |
15.6 |
71.3 |
33 |
19.6 |
|
12 |
Austria |
13.8 |
65 |
22.8 |
13.9 |
|
13 |
Spain |
12.2 |
65 |
28.3 |
3.3 |
|
14 |
Norway |
10.7 |
67 |
20.1 |
59.4 |
|
15 |
Japan |
10.2 |
65 |
18.3 |
49.4 |
Finland has the best pension system in the world, the report claims, with high public expenditure on pensions, and a strong percentage of the population paying into a pension, Finnish nationals can really make the most of their retirement.
Next up in the rankings is Poland taking second place, thanks to high public spending on pensions and one of the lowest average retirement ages. Not far behind, in third place, is Sweden where a high percentage of the population actively participates in funded pension schemes.
The UK's pension system flatlines with the global average, bringing into greater focus the 2011's triple-lock on UK pensions against inflation, which has recently been placed under the spotlight.
Pluck added that moving forward, the UK government needs to "reassure pensioners" that they will protect them from future economic turbulence, and the government needs to put in place a system that educates young adults around the importance of pension planning.
"Until then, workers around the British Isles find themselves working for much longer, only to retire into a pension system where they have less spending power and less freedom - not only is this a blow to a person's quality of life, but it is a massive blow for the UK economy," he said
The full study can be found here: https://www.blacktowerfm.com/best-countries-for-pensions-in-the-world/
