Countries With the Highest Old-age Spending
Every country with a figure for old-age spending, ranked from highest to lowest. The top three are Italy (13.7%), Greece (13.6%) and Austria (13.2%). The middle country of the 42 has 7.39%.
What this measures
Public spending on old-age benefits, in % of GDP. Source: OECD. For this measure, no agreed better direction.
Public pensions and other benefits for older people. It mostly reflects how old a country is and how its pensions are set up. That is why its strongest link is with the share of people aged 65 and over.
The full ranking
Each country’s latest figure, from 2021–2023. The year beside each value says when it was measured.
| Rank | Country | Old-age spending | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 13.7% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 2 | Greece | 13.6% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 3 | Austria | 13.2% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 4 | Finland | 13% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 5 | France | 12.4% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 6 | Portugal | 11.1% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 7 | Spain | 10.3% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 8 | Belgium | 10.2% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 9 | Sweden | 10.1% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 10 | Germany | 9.94% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 11 | Poland | 9.74% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 12 | Slovenia | 9.55% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 13 | Denmark | 9.27% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 14 | Norway | 8.43% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 15 | Japan | 8.29% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 16 | Romania | 8.18% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 17 | Bulgaria | 8.09% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 18 | Czechia | 7.96% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 19 | Latvia | 7.82% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 20 | United Kingdom | 7.41% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 21 | Croatia | 7.39% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 22 | Hungary | 7.33% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 23 | Netherlands | 7.19% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 24 | Luxembourg | 7.19% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 25 | Slovak Republic | 7.15% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 26 | Estonia | 6.82% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 27 | United States | 6.8% | 2023 | North America |
| 28 | Lithuania | 6.44% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 29 | Switzerland | 6.32% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 30 | Colombia | 5.7% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 31 | Canada | 5.59% | 2022 | North America |
| 32 | Mexico | 5.11% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 33 | New Zealand | 5.06% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 34 | Israel | 4.92% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 35 | Turkiye | 4.88% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 36 | Costa Rica | 4.58% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 37 | Australia | 4.46% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 38 | Korea, Rep. | 3.62% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 39 | Iceland | 3.29% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 40 | Chile | 3.28% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 41 | Ireland | 2.75% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 42 | Peru | 1.87% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
More on old-age spending
- Countries With the Lowest Old-age Spending
- Old-age spending by country: trend over time and what it goes with
Related rankings
- Countries With the Highest Public Social Spending
- Countries With the Highest Family Benefits Spending
- Countries With the Highest Aid Given
- Countries With the Highest Government Spending per Capita
- Countries With the Highest Corporate Tax Rates
- Countries With the Highest HDI
- Countries With the Highest Inequality-adjusted HDI
- Countries With the Highest GDP per Capita (PPP)
A ranking describes countries, not the people in them, and a high or low place does not by itself say why. All country rankings.