The U.S. remains among the top 20 countries in the world for retirement security, said the 2015 Global Retirement index, released Tuesday by Natixis Global Asset Management.
A growing economy, rising employment and low inflation helped the U.S. retain its No. 19 ranking for the third consecutive year. However, federal debt, income inequality and accessibility of health care challenge its position moving forward, Natixis said in a news release about the index.
The 2015 Global Retirement index was based on an analysis by Natixis of 20 key trends across four broad categories in 150 countries: health and health-care quality; personal income and finances; quality of life; and socioeconomic factors.
Switzerland and Norway maintained their first- and second-place rankings, respectively. Iceland, the Netherlands and Japan were the most improved performers, climbing seven, eight and 10 spots to No. 4, 5 and 17, respectively. Rounding out the top 10 were Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Germany and New Zealand.
The five worst performers were Togo, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Comoros and Lesotho.
“Bold public policies and a commitment to innovation are making the greatest contribution to the security of retirees in the top-ranked countries,” said John Hailer, Natixis’ president and CEO for the Americas and Asia, in the news release. In the U.S., wider access to work-based retirement programs could improve retirement security further, he added.
