The Netherlands earned the best score for the second year in a row among 37 national pension systems for adequacy, sustainability and integrity.
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension index, which ranks 37 national pension systems, gave the Netherlands a score of 81 this year, topping the list for the second year in a row, according to the index's 11th annual results released Monday.
The index uses a weighted average of its sub-indexes of adequacy, sustainability and integrity and also measures each retirement system against more than 40 indicators
Last year, the Netherlands edged out the previous year's leader, Denmark, with a score of 80.3, and had consistently held that first or second position in the index's 11-year history.
Thailand had the lowest index value at 39.4.
With a score of 60.6, the U.S. was ranked 16th among the 37 national pension systems ranked in the study, which included the Phillippines, Thailand and Turkey for the first time this year.
The average score for all the measured systems fell to 59.3 from 60.5 in 2018.
"Systems around the world are facing unprecedented life expectancy and rising pressure on public resources to support the health and welfare of older citizens. It's imperative that policymakers reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of their systems to ensure stronger long-term outcomes for the retirees of the future," said David Knox, author of the report and a senior partner at Mercer Australia, in a news release.
For integrity, Finland had the highest score at 92.5, while Denmark had the highest score for sustainability and Ireland had the highest for adequacy at 81.5.
