Countries with the largest pensions in the world are scattered throughout the planet, and in them the income of people in old age exceeds the salaries of many specialists and workers in many countries. Information about such states, the amount of payments and other interesting information is indicated in the article.
The largest pension in the world is paid to Danish citizens in the amount of $2,800. Their pension reform is considered almost ideal from the point of view of ordinary people. To receive such an amount, it is enough to have a certain work experience, as well as live in the country for at least forty years. If a person does not pass one of the requirements, then he will not be left without a pension. Money will be paid in old age, but in much smaller quantities. It is worth noting that the Scandinavian countries have the most acceptable social conditions for living, and Denmark does not stand out from the total. Pensioners have enough money for a carefree life, as well as savings for children or grandchildren.
Mexico occupies a confident second place in the list of countries with the largest pensions in the world. Here, an elderly couple is paid $2,129 between them, which is already quite a significant figure. At the same time, older citizens spend on average only a third of this figure per month, and therefore they are guaranteed a carefree life. In the United States, such programs do not exist for people, and therefore many people move to Mexico as they get older, where it is easier to live and pays more. The country does not boast economic prosperity and stability, but it is worried about its elderly citizens.
Third place goes to Finland, which also has one of the largest pensions in the world. This amount on average reaches almost two thousand dollars. The indicator is usually formed based on the following criteria:
For native citizens, a pension is mandatory, but immigrants must have lived in the country for more than 40 years.
The list of countries with the largest pensions in the world continues with Switzerland, where pension reform is time-tested and based on a three-part system. The first of these is monthly contributions of a certain percentage of income to special funds. The second aspect is the mandatory insurance of your labor, which allows you to receive about 60% of your income in old age. The third factor is considered to be voluntary investments in excess of the percentage that is mandatory to be deducted. The system works perfectly, without much effort people retire without thinking about the need to ensure a carefree old age. The average payment per month is $1,900.
The top five, unexpectedly for everyone, is closed by the small country of Panama. Here, a retired married couple is paid $1,865. Considering that this is only a thousand less than in Denmark, where the pension is the largest in the world, and the level of the economy is several times higher, then the result is impressive. It only remains to add that very little of this amount is spent on paying bills and daily expenses.
Which country in the world has the largest pensions became known from the beginning of the list, but Denmark’s neighbors are doing quite well in this regard. Sixth place is confidently occupied by Norway, where the average level of payments is slightly more than one and a half thousand dollars. The pension reform of this country is included in the list of the best researched by specialized publishing houses.
The state policy is such that an amount of 4.5% of GDP is spent on providing for the older generation. Payments are divided into basic and additional; bonuses are possible depending on the amount of labor and place of work. In Germany, the payout level is slightly lower, but $1,200 is enough for sixth place on the leaderboard. Here, pensions are awarded to citizens in two ways. The first is state provision for people whose monthly income does not exceed 3,900 euros. The second direction was created for those who want to save for themselves for a carefree old age. A person transfers the amount to funds that pay out savings after retirement.
If US residents knew what the largest pension in the world is, they would probably think about moving to Denmark. In their home country, the average level is frozen at $1,200, which allows them to share sixth place with Germany. This figure is only approximate, because the system of calculating money in this state depends on the place of work, length of service, working conditions and many other factors. Often people receive about half the amount from their salary.
In Spain, the average pension is 10 dollars less than in the USA and Germany. However, here the system is based on the number of social insurance contributions. When the time for payment comes, the indexation of price increases is taken into account and the amount of money is determined. The top ten is closed by France, where the pension is divided into basic and additional. The first type is awarded by the state as assistance, and the rate of the second category is determined by the number of points scored when leaving work. The average is a thousand dollars.
Providing for an increase in the retirement age, it has already been adopted by the State Duma and signed by the President. The government justified the need to make a decision on the issue of retirement age by the fact that Russia is one of the last European countries and republics of the former USSR that has not yet adjusted these values to take into account the increase in life expectancy.
The old retirement age standards in Russia were installed January 5, 1928 During the Soviet Union, these values did not change and no proposals for their adjustments were made. This is the first time this question has been asked began discussion in 1997, when the Ministry of Economy of the Russian Federation submitted for consideration a bill on increasing the limit of the working period. Then this law was rejected. Subsequently, this issue was raised more than once in one way or another, but in fact to the implementation of pension reform in Russia on the initiative of the Government of Dmitry Medvedev.
In many countries, the upper limit of the working period reviewed regularly upward. According to the international Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), already in 2016 The average retirement age in the organization's member countries is 63.7 years for women and 64.3 years for men. In total, according to OECD information, 30 of the 37 member countries of this organization have already raised the retirement age or are planning to do so in the coming years. On average, over the past 10 years, the member countries of this organization have increased the working capacity of their citizens for 2.1 years for women and 1.5 years for men, and there are no plans to stop further growth of values.
Thus, it is necessary to recognize that the values of the retirement age of Russians at the end of 2018 (60 years for men and 55 for women) significantly lower those that are established in many developed and developing countries (since the times of the USSR, these standards have not changed only in Russia and Uzbekistan).
Referring to this circumstance, the Government of Dmitry Medvedev decided to start in 2019 up to 65 years for the male population and up to 63 for the female population. However, direct comparison of retirement age in different countries is not enough to obtain an objective one - it is necessary to take into account and a number of other factors, such as:
Below is a table of retirement ages in countries around the world with comments on plans for future adjustment of these values, as well as, for comparison, the life expectancy of citizens of these countries (data collected from open sources):
Country | Retirement age in 2019 | Life expectancy (according to Rosstat for 2015/2016) | Comments | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Husband. | Women | Husband. | Women | ||
Austria | 65 | 60 | 79,6 | 84,2 | From 2014 for women the value increases to 65 years (by 2033) |
Azerbaijan | 64 | 61 | 72,8 | 77,6 | The value increases by six months per year until the age of 65 (previously it was 63 and 60) |
Armenia | 63 | 71,6 | 78,3 | ||
Rep. Belarus | 61 | 56 | 68,9 | 79 | Since 2017, it increases by six months per year to 63 and 58 (from 60 and 55) |
65 | 78,8 | 83,9 | An increase is planned from 2025. up to 66 years, and from 2030 - up to 67 years. | ||
Bulgaria | 63 | 60 | 71,1 | 78,0 | |
65 | 79,8 | 83,5 | They plan to increase it to 68 years | ||
Hungary | 62 | 72,4 | 79,7 | ||
65,5 | 65,5 | 78,7 | 83,6 | Since 2012, it has been increased to 67 years by 1-2 months per year (depending on the year of birth). Was 65 years old. | |
Israel | 67 | 62 | 80,1 | 84,1 | Plans to increase to 64 years |
66 years 7 months | 81,1 | 86,0 | Since 2012, the age has been increased to 67 by 2021 (previously it was 65 and 60) | ||
Kazakhstan | 63 | 58,5 | 68,1 | 76,6 | From 2018, it will be increased by six months per year to 63 years. |
Canada | 65 | 80,2 | 84,1 | ||
Kyrgyz Republic | 63 | 58 | 67,0 | 75,1 | |
Latvia | 63,25 | 69,1 | 79,4 | Since 2014, it has been increased annually by 3 months. before reaching 65 years of age (was 62) | |
Lithuania | 63,5 | 62 | 69,9 | 80,6 | Since 2011, it has been gradually increased to 65 years by 2026 (from 62.5 and 60) |
Moldova | 62 | 57 | 68,1 | 76,2 | |
Norway | 67 | 80,1 | 84,2 | ||
Russia | 60,5 | 55,5 | 66,5 | 77,1 | From 2019, the retirement age increases to 65 and 60 years, respectively. |
Romania | 63 | 58 | 71,4 | 78,7 | |
67 | 76,4 | 81,2 | |||
Tajikistan | 63 | 58 | 71,9 | 75,7 | |
Uzbekistan | 60 | 55 | 71,4 | 76,2 | |
60 | 58,5 | 66,7 | 76,5 | Women will be gradually increased to 60 years of age by 2021 | |
62,5 | 79,5 | 86,0 | Planned to increase to 67 years | ||
Estonia | 63,5 | 72,4 | 82,1 | Gradually increases until age 65 in 2026 | |
Japan | 65 | 80,8 | 87,1 |
As can be seen from the table presented, in many foreign countries there is a widespread trend when the retirement age for men and women is established on the same level. In most countries of the world this value is 65 years and older. In some of these states, new standards have already been enshrined, in others the importance is gradually increasing, and some are just starting to reform the pension system, such as, for example.
This increase is primarily based on increasing life expectancy of citizens because of which the number of pensioners is increasing and the tax burden on the working population is increasing. Therefore, the authorities are adjusting the boundaries of the population’s working capacity in order to balance the country’s pension system.
However, no clear conclusions, based only on established standards of retirement age and data on life expectancy, it is impossible. It must be borne in mind that pension systems in different countries and built differently. There is no universal system that can be used in every state.
In each individual country, the pension system is adjusted to a number of constantly changing factors:
The first European country to announce an adjustment to the retirement age for its citizens was Italy. The country's authorities announced their plans in 2008, and began to increase since 2012. Before the start of the reform in the country, the standards were set at 65 years for the male population and 60 for the female population. By 2021 these values will be increased to 67 years for both men and women.
To process payments, payment of insurance premiums is a prerequisite. for 20 years. At the same time, despite the increase, Italian citizens are also entitled to early retirement if you have a certain work experience:
In France The authorities' initiative to increase the retirement age in 2010 caused a wave of discussions, protests, demonstrations and strikes. However, these actions did not influence the decisions of politicians- currently the standards established by law for men and women are 62.5 years, and in the future it is planned to increase them up to 67 years old by 2023.
In Belgium The retirement age for women and men is the same - 65 years, but from 2025 this value will also increase up to 66 years old, and from 2030 - up to 67. At the same time, for certain categories of workers of this state it is provided preferential retirement:
If they have a certain length of work experience, Belgian citizens are entitled to early retirement(table below):
Raising the retirement age in Ukraine so far affects only women - for them, by 2020, the working period will be equal to the standards for the male population and will increased to 60 years. In addition, adjustments are being made to the minimum required length of service to apply for a pension: from 01/01/2018 it has been increased from 15 to 25 years, and by 2028 the value will be gradually increase until age 35.
Retirement age changes for men and women are progressing at the slowest pace in Germany - 1-2 months a year. The reform provided for increasing the period of working capacity of citizens from 65 to 67 years, about which the population was informed in advance back in 2007 - 5 years before the start of adjustments.
A gradual increase in retirement dates in this country is carried out according to the following plan:
On January 1, 2014, amendments were made to German pension legislation, which made it possible to issue early payments to citizens of the country, have worked for 45 years or more, upon reaching 63 years of age.
You can apply for early retirement until age 67, but for each month that a person did not complete until the established age, he will need to return it to the state budget 0.3% of your pension savings(that's 3.6% for one whole unfinished year).
Pension reform has begun in the UK in 2010, as a result of which the retirement age gradually increased over the course of 8 years from 60 to 65 years for men and women. But the country’s leadership did not stop there - the following adjustments are planned in the future:
Initially, raise the retirement age to 68 years Government planned by 2044, but due to the steady increase in life expectancy of the country’s citizens, it was decided postpone the planned reform. Already, the country's authorities note that the number of people who receive state pensions is constantly increasing. To ensure a stable system that will allow stable payments to pensioners, it was decided to adjust (accelerate) the plan to increase the working period of citizens.
Upon reaching retirement age, a citizen of this country can continue to work. For this, the state provides such a person additional pension increase- for each additional year of work he receives a bonus up to 25% of earnings.
Initial retirement age in the US ( 65 years for men and women) was installed in 1935. In 1983, amendments to the legislation were adopted that provide increasing these values to 67 years. Adjustments are made within 22 year period with 11 year break, during which the value was fixed at 66 years (from 2009 to 2020).
The retirement age for US citizens depends on their year of birth. In addition, Americans have the right to make payments early - at 62 years old, but this makes them lose some money ( from 20 to 30% of the monthly payment depending on the year of birth of the pensioner).
The table below shows the retirement age in the United States depending on the year of birth, as well as the percentage of the monthly payment that a citizen will lose if he retires early at age 62:
Year of birth | Retirement age | If you retire early at age 62, your benefit will decrease by: | |
---|---|---|---|
number of complete years | months | ||
Before 1937 | 65 | 0 | 20% |
1938 | 2 | 20,83% | |
1939 | 4 | 21,67% | |
1940 | 6 | 22,50% | |
1941 | 8 | 23,33% | |
1942 | 10 | 24,17% | |
1943-1954 | 66 | 0 | 25,00% |
1955 | 2 | 25,83% | |
1956 | 4 | 26,67% | |
1957 | 6 | 27,50% | |
1958 | 8 | 28,33% | |
1959 | 10 | 29,17% | |
1960 and following years | 67 | 0 | 30,00% |
That is, the final retirement age (67 years) will be established for US citizens Born 1960 and younger. For persons who were born from 1937 to 1959, transitional provisions apply - the age for them gradually increases.
It is worth noting that the legislation provides for measures to motivate citizens to late payment processing(from 67 to 70 years inclusive). The monthly payment amount will be increased by 8% for each year of additional work, i.e. the maximum increase can be upon retirement at 70.
Today, increasing the retirement age is a global trend, driven by the development of medicine and the high life expectancy of citizens around the world. Also, this process was motivated by the need to increase pensions and the need to improve economic indicators in the country. In Russia, the problem of the retirement age is extremely relevant and controversial due to the adopted draft law, according to which it is planned to increase the retirement age. The transformation of the Russian pension system forces us to pay attention to the experience of foreign countries and find out at what age their citizens retire.
Differences in retirement age around the world are due to a number of factors:
Country | Men | Women |
UAE | 49 | 49 |
China | 60 | 55 |
Russia | 65 | 63 |
India | 60–65 (depending on state, | 60–65 (depending on state, where the pensioner lives) |
Japan | 60–70 | 60–70 |
Each of the countries considered has its own characteristics that determine the retirement of citizens:
Features of countries with high retirement ages:
The most unusual pension system among all countries in the Asian region is found in China. Here, only residents of urban districts have the right to receive government payments. For citizens with rural registration, pension payments are not provided; by law, children are required to provide them.
This policy became a reality due to the desire of the Chinese authorities to urbanize their population, providing additional injections into the state budget. As you know, residents of rural areas spend much less compared to city residents. As practice shows, such an approach to pension provision bears fruit. If in 1990 the majority of China's population lived in villages, now it is one of the most urbanized countries in the world.
Due to increasing life expectancy and a significant burden on the budget, many countries around the world have begun to pursue a policy of gradually increasing the age limit for retirement. Among the countries of the former USSR, Russia became the first country to raise the retirement age. For residents of the country it is now 65 years old for men and 63 years old for the fairer sex.
In the foreseeable future, many states are planning to launch a full-scale pension reform, as a result of which the pension system will radically change:
As an example, here is a comparative table showing the average pension in different countries of the world for 2019
Country | Pension amount (dollars/month) |
Denmark | 2800 |
Finland | 1900 |
Norway | 1542 |
Israel | 1350 |
Germany | 1200 |
Spain | 1190 |
USA | 1164 |
Switzerland | 875 |
Sweden | 833 |
Japan | 717 |
United Kingdom | 700 |
France | 695 |
Canada | 665 |
Italy | 580 |
Hungary | 400 |
Poland | 350 |
Russia | 320 |
Lithuania | 300 |
Bulgaria | 280 |
Kazakhstan | 210 |
Azerbaijan | 202 |
Belarus | 175 |
Ukraine | 100 |
Argentina | 96 |
Moldova | 80 |
Uzbekistan | 55 |
Georgia | 40 |
Analysis of pension legislation in different countries and data on retirement age indicates the inevitability of pension reforms in most countries of the world. This process has both pros and cons. It is very important for citizens to take care of their future pension in advance by making regular insurance contributions, as well as considering non-state pension funds for their contributions.
Russian officials are increasingly saying that citizens need to take care of the size of future pensions themselves. First, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that you need to save for retirement on your own. Now his idea is being developed by the Ministry of Economic Development, which has presented a program of voluntary savings for citizens. At the same time, the funded part of the pension, which amounted to 6% of the 22% of payments made by employees to the Pension Fund, has been frozen for several years, and all the money goes to payments to current pensioners. However, there is not enough money for them to index their pensions. The Village studied how things are with pensions in different countries and compared their systems with the Russian one.
Retirement age
Average pension
$1,500 per month
How to get
Pay 15% salary tax for ten years for social pension
Work for a company for five to six years for a corporate pension (maximum contribution is $18,000 per year)
Contribute any amount to your retirement account yourself
Total pension assets in 2015 were $24 trillion. The money is invested in financial instruments, including shares. This is done by both private foundations and the Social Security Administration (which manages $2.8 trillion in Social Security pension contributions). It employs 65 thousand people throughout the country, and its maintenance costs amount to approximately 0.39% of the volume of social pension assets per year.
RETIREMENT AGE
60–62 years (entitles you to old age benefits)
AVERAGE PENSION
$1,500 (after contributing to a pension fund for 30 years)
HOW TO GET
Contribute between 6.95% and 18.5% of your salary to the National Insurance Institute to receive an old-age benefit of $370 per month
Pay contributions to pension funds for at least ten years (then you can count on a pension of $700 per month)
As of the first half of 2016, the country's total pension assets amounted to $170 billion. There are several types of pension funds in Israel. The old funds were non-profit cooperatives and could pay pensions not only in money, but also in kind. But as the number of depositors grew in the 90s, they developed a deficit, which by the beginning of the new century reached $25 billion. The state began to rehabilitate the funds, and their investors raised the retirement age to 64–67 years. In the 2000s, new funds began to appear in which both employees and companies can invest money. The average contribution to such funds is 11% of salary. In addition, many repatriates come to Israel who did not contribute money to the funds - the Ministry of Finance pays them old-age benefits.
Retirement age
Average pension
£1,590 per month (about $2,000)
How to get
Contribute money to the social insurance fund for at least ten years to receive a basic state pension
Save money yourself in a pension account in a non-state fund
This year the rules for calculating pensions have changed. Those retiring before 6 April this year had the option of receiving a basic pension from the State of up to a maximum of £119.3 per week, plus an additional pension if they contributed more than this to the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme (maximum of £160 per week ). Those retiring this year will only be able to receive one government pension - a maximum of £155.65 a week. The average state pension will be £130 per week. But in reality, pensioners receive more thanks to independent savings. Thus, in 2013–2014, the average pension exceeded the average income of a working Briton.
Retirement age
60–62 years
Average pension
How to get
Contribute 16.35% of income to the pension fund monthly to receive a basic pension
Pay insurance premiums to Arrco and Agirc to receive additional points that will increase your pension
All French people have the right to receive a pension, but it is advisable to work for more than 40 years. If there is not enough length of service, the person is paid a solidarity pension. Typically, the pension is calculated based on payments to the pension fund and points accumulated through additional contributions. At the same time, the pension system has a distribution nature: money is paid to pensioners from the earnings of working citizens.
Retirement age
Average pension:
1,000 yuan (about $150)
Russia is among the top 5 worst countries in the world for people of retirement age to live. In the Global Pension Index of the investment company Natixis Global Asset Management, the country took 40th place out of 43 possible
Russia remains one of the worst countries in the world for people retiring. In the Global Retirement Index 2017 (Global Retirement Index), it took 40th place out of 43 possible, behind Turkey, China and Mexico. Only Brazil, Greece and India are below Russia in the ranking.
Russia is in the “basement” of the ranking, as are its BRIC partners - India (43rd place), China (38th) and Brazil (41st). The top five countries for retirees to live in are Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Sweden and New Zealand. The United States in the global top fell by three positions over the year and took 17th place.
The first Global Retirement Index was released in 2013. It is calculated by the management company Natixis Global Asset Management and the provider of research services in the field of finance and strategic consulting CoreData Research. It includes developed and developing economies that are members of the International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and BRIC.
When calculating the index, 18 indicators are taken into account, which are distributed across four sub-indexes: pension finance, material well-being, quality of life and health. The sub-indices reflect four key aspects of retirement security: financial means for a comfortable retirement, access to quality financial services to protect savings and increase income, access to quality health care services, and a clean and safe environment. According to the authors, the index can serve as a guide in choosing countries and means to effectively preserve your wealth and create the most comfortable conditions in retirement.
Over the year, Russia worsened its position in the components of “material well-being” (35th place) and “health care” (42nd place) and improved its position in quality of life (36th) and finance (43rd). In terms of more detailed criteria - in terms of income equality and per capita income - Russia took fifth and seventh places from the bottom.
In the employment sub-ranking (the higher the unemployment in a country, the worse the potential situation of pensioners), the country dropped five positions to 17th place. The authors of the study also note a deterioration in the state of affairs in Russian healthcare. In terms of life expectancy, Russia took second to last place in the ranking - this indicator for the country has worsened for the second year in a row.
“In Russia, compared to other OECD countries (mostly they participate in the review), there really is a significant lag in the financial situation of citizens,” Evgeniy Biezbardis, head of the analytical service of the Association of Non-State Pension Funds (ANPF), commented to RBC on the study’s findings. “So, according to Rosstat, the share of people living below the poverty line has been growing recently and amounted to about 22 million at the end of the first quarter of 2017.” The situation for pensioners is getting worse: their real pension is falling, the expert says. Based on Rosstat data, the incomes of the poorest Russians, which often include pensioners, are almost 16 times less than those of the group with the highest incomes.
Russia is also at the bottom of the top for indicators such as health care insurance costs (fourth place from the bottom) and health care costs per capita (eighth place from the bottom). Over the year, Russia managed to improve its average score in the “finance” category, however, despite this, the country took last place in the corresponding top. Russia also ranked last in the categories of “government” and “inflation”, as well as sixth from the bottom in problem bank loans and tenth from the bottom in interest rate dynamics.
Russia showed good results in only two indicators: it took third place in the sub-rating of “public debt”, and also 11th in terms of the pension burden ratio, which is the ratio of the population aged 65 years and older to the population aged 20 to 64 years. . Russia strengthened its position in the quality of life subcategory due to an increase in the “feeling of happiness” score, as well as improvements in environmental factors as a result of progress in reducing carbon dioxide emissions per GDP. However, the country ranks third from bottom in the list of environmental factors, and sixth from bottom in the subcategory “biodiversity and habitat”.
It is incorrect to combine countries with different pension systems into one index, Doctor of Economic Sciences, Vice-Rector for Development of the Academy of Labor and Social Relations Alexander Safonov told RBC. “Firstly, the Russian pension system, unlike Western ones, is additionally financed by the state through a system of social benefits and benefits for pensioners and persons with veteran experience. Secondly, Russia has one of the lowest age rates for retirement (no country in the world retires early at age 45). Thirdly, the social structure of society in Russia is determined by the industrial economy, i.e. a large number of pensioners are hired workers, which is why their pensions are lower. Fourthly, medicine is free in Russia,” the expert explained. “However, in terms of the replacement rate for lost earnings, we are very far from European indicators, and we do not reach the pension standard established by the International Labor Organization (ILO) - 40% of lost earnings,” Safonov noted. “There is also a problem of inflation, and this is a true reflection of the situation that is developing in Russia.”