The world is getting older. Consider this remarkable fact: for the first time in history, people over 65 outnumber children aged five or younger. Since many of them will be moving on from the workplace, it’s never been more important to provide secure pensions. 

Unfortunately, this ageing demographic is making the world’s retirement systems ever more expensive and difficult to maintain. And as the Mercer CFA Global Pension Index demonstrates, there’s a massive disparity among them, with some schemes performing better than others.

The 2024 edition of the Mercer CFA Index (the most recent version) ranks the efforts of pension systems worldwide. Read on to discover how 35 countries have performed and see which nation comes out on top.

All dollar amounts in US dollars.