August 2025
26Aug

Aging population pressures China’s pension system.

China's rapidly aging population puts pressure on the pension system that needs to be addressed China, a major developing country with a large population, is undergoing exceptionally rapid demographic aging. The most urgent priority for China's pension finance sector is to tackle aging-related challenges and enhance the sustainability of the pension system, which has transitioned from a pay-as-you-go model to a hybrid structure that combines social pooling with individually funded accounts. The sector currently confronts several major challenges. Foremost is the uneven...

August 26, 2025
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22Aug

Reforming the Pension System in Nepal: Sustainability, Adequacy, and Coverage

By Dilip Raj Paudel Pension systems ensure financial security during retirement, especially in developing countries like Nepal. The sustainability, adequacy, and coverage of pension systems are critical for ensuring social security after retirement, particularly in developing countries like Nepal. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of Nepal's pension framework, examining contributory and non-contributory schemes to identify their strengths, limitations, and areas for reform. Utilizing a mixed-method approach, primary data from 384 respondents and secondary sources, including reports from international organizations,...

August 22, 2025
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12Aug

China’s pension system needs an overhaul because it is neither fair nor sustainable

By Zhou Xin Mainland China’s pension system has again become an issue of debate after the Supreme People’s Court ruled that any private agreement between employers and employees to evade payment of retirement funds was invalid. While the legal interpretation reiterated existing laws and regulations, it struck a nerve with the population and triggered doubts about the pension system’s fairness and sustainability. China’s pay-as-you-go system, which requires workers to contribute funds into a state-managed pool to pay for their retirement, essentially serves as a...

August 12, 2025
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July 2025
23Jul

Britain is facing a ‘tsunami’ of pensioner poverty, says Kendall

Britain risks a “tsunami of pensioner poverty” over the coming decades unless the system of saving for retirement is overhauled, according to Liz Kendall. At the launch of a major independent commission on the pensions system, the work and pensions secretary said growing numbers would struggle to make ends meet in old age. “Unless we act, tomorrow’s pensioners will be poorer than today’s, because people who are saving aren’t saving enough for their retirement, and crucially, because almost half of the working age population...

July 23, 2025
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14Jul

UK. DWP benefits warning as payments could be slashed by 15% in certain scenarios

Universal Credit and Pension Credit are essential sources of financial support for many in the UK. Yet, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) cautions that, in highly exceptional cases, claimants could experience reductions of 5% to 15%. These cuts, called 'third-party deductions', happen when a benefits recipient owes debts like court fines, rent, Council Tax, or energy bills. Usually, deductions are made at a fixed rate until the debt is paid off, with a maximum of three debts being...

July 14, 2025
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June 2025
19Jun

US. Social Security’s Finances Erode Further, Risking Benefit Cuts

The Social Security program faces a longstanding financing shortfall that, if left unaddressed, would slash millions of retirees’ crucial monthly benefit payments in just eight years. The deteriorating financial outlook for the retirement program, which supports roughly 61 million Americans, was released in its annual trustees report on Wednesday. It is now expected to run out of money nine months earlier than previously projected, which means benefits could be reduced by 23 percent if Congress does not act to bolster...

June 19, 2025
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11Jun

UK’s DB schemes remain in ‘robust shape’, PPF 7800 shows

The Pension Protection Fund's (PPF) 7800 Index for May painted a broadly positive picture of defined benefit (DB) schemes, as the aggregate surplus of the 4,969 schemes in the PPF 7800 Index increased by £18.6bn, rising from £202.5bn to £221.1bn. The index showed a 2.8 percentage point increase in the funding ratio, reaching 125.6 per cent, while just over seven in 10 (71.8 per cent) of all schemes were in surplus, or 3,569 in total. Commenting on the report, PPF chief...

June 11, 2025
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May 2025
23May

European semester thematic factsheet adequacy and sustainability of pensions

Pensions are the main source of income for older people in Europe, coming mostly from 'pay-as-you-go' public schemes. Retired people drawing a pension are a significant and — due to demographic ageing — a growing part of the EU population (about 124 million, or a quarter of the total population1). European pension systems are facing the dual challenge of remaining financially sustainable and being able to provide Europeans with an adequate income in retirement. The key purpose of pension...

May 23, 2025
Adequacy, Books, Books, System Sustainability, , , ,
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14May

Germany struggles to fix its pension system

Germany's baby boomers are retiring. Those born between 1955 and 1969, when the birth rate was at an all-time high, are also living longer. The workforce is not growing at the same rate. So who will pay the elderly's pensions? A considerable chunk of the federal budget goes into propping up the statuary pension system and the new Labor Minister, Bärbel Bas from the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), has reiterated an idea of how to partially fix that. The pension system in Germany, established in 1889,...

May 14, 2025
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13May

Pension Gaps and Inflation: The struggle for a secure Nigerian retirement

Across the African continent, the aspiration for a peaceful and financially secure retirement has remained a common dream for generations. For many today, particularly in Nigeria that vision is becoming increasingly difficult to attain. The harsh realities of the current economic landscape, defined by soaring inflation, a continually rising cost of living, and limited access to pension schemes for millions of workers, especially those in the informal sector, have made retirement planning more complex and uncertain than ever. In Nigeria, as...

May 13, 2025
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