When compared to 48 other countries, the U.S. retirement system ranked 29 and received an overall C+ grade, according to the latest Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index, which examines systems in countries across the world.
The U.S. scored 60.4 out of 100, down from last year’s 63.0 and below the 63.6 average of all countries.
By the numbers: The top four countries that received an “A” grade include:
- No. 1 Netherlands (score of 84.8/100)
- No. 2 Iceland (83.4)
- No. 3 Denmark (81.6)
- No. 4 Israel (80.2)
What They’re Saying: “The lackluster standing by the U.S. in the world is largely due to a sizable gap in the share of people who have access to a workplace retirement plan, and for the ample opportunities for “leakage” of savings from accounts before retirement, said Christine Mahoney, global retirement leader at Mercer, a consulting firm.
