According to the Marsh CFA Institute Global Pension Index 2026, the highest positions in the global 2026 pension systems ranking were taken by the Netherlands, Denmark and Iceland. The Index covered 55 pension systems and assessed them against three criteria.
Europe dominates the top ranks
European countries occupied six of the top ten places in the ranking, and the Netherlands, Denmark and Iceland received the highest grade, A. Finland and Norway demonstrate high standards of pension system governance, particularly in regulation and transparency.
The Index does not directly compare pension amounts; it assesses the overall effectiveness of systems, their ability to provide for people after they finish working and their future financial sustainability. The study covered various elements of the systems, but the authors summarised the results specifically for 55 countries.
Singapore and Australia: key features
Among the countries of Asia and Oceania, Singapore, Israel and Australia made it into the leaders group — all received a grade of A. Singapore stands out for the quality of governance: on this criterion it scored 90.4 points.
Singapore’s mandatory funded model plays an important role: workers contribute to the Central Provident Fund throughout their careers, building retirement savings. Australia reached the highest category thanks to compulsory employer contributions to employees’ pension savings.
Contrast in the Americas: Chile and the United States (US)
Chile achieved the best result among American countries — seventh place in the world with a score of 79.2 points. Strengths of its pension system included regulation and governance quality, for which the country scored 88.2 points.
The United States (US) ranked 33rd with a score of 61.6 points and received a C+ category. Their ranking was affected by relatively low scores for financial sustainability (57.1 points) and governance quality (60.2 points). In the US, pension provision is formed from several sources: state Social Security payments, employer pension schemes and personal savings.
