Algorithm
The formal rules that turn contributions, age and residence into a benefit. Every country writes them differently — the atlas makes them visible and comparable.
Global Observatory · 2026 Edition
The Global Pensions Atlas
Eighty-four countries. Five continents. One question: does the algorithm of a modern society still guarantee dignity in old age? A comparative reading of who is entitled to retire, when, and with what protection.
Curated by
AEGIS — The Human Algorithm
In collaboration with
Fondazione Età Grande
—
Countries mapped
—
Over 65 (average, %)
—
Average replacement rate
—
Pension spending (% GDP)
—
With a basic pension
The world in one map
Each circle represents a country. Color indicates the presence of a basic pension; size reflects the earnings replacement rate — how much of a working income the system still delivers in old age.
Why an algorithm can be human
Pensions are one of the most complex algorithms a society writes for itself: rules that translate a life of work into a promise for its final chapter. AEGIS reads these algorithms through four lenses.
Ethics
Adequacy, universality, sustainability. A pension system reveals what a society is willing to owe to those who can no longer produce.
Generations
Every pension is a covenant between generations. Demographic pressure and rising longevity are rewriting that covenant almost everywhere.
Integrity & Sustainability
Public spending, replacement rates, coverage of the elderly: the numbers that tell whether the promise can be kept without breaking either fairness or public finance.
Explore the countries
Filter, search, sort. Click any country to open its detailed profile with the AEGIS reading grid.
— countries shown
| Country | Region | Basic pension | Age | Replacement | % GDP | Over 65 | Rights |
|---|
Methodology
Definitions
- Basic pension
- Public benefit provided upon reaching the statutory retirement age to those meeting the contributory or residency requirements set by national law.
- Replacement rate
- Ratio between the average pension and the final salary, expressed as a percentage. A value of 70% means the pension equals 70% of the last wage.
- Elderly coverage
- Share of the elderly population receiving some form of pension — contributory, social or non-contributory.
- Pension spending
- Public spending on old-age, disability and survivor pensions, expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product.
- Rights rating
- Qualitative indicator (0–5) synthesizing universality, adequacy and sustainability of the system, curated by the AEGIS editorial board.
Sources
- OECD · Pensions at a Glance 2023
- ISSA · Country Profiles
- SSA · Social Security Programs Throughout the World
- World Bank · Open Data
- United Nations · World Population Prospects
Editorial notes
Data are updated to 2024–2025 and harmonized for international comparison. Where sources diverge, OECD values are preferred. Systems undergoing deep reform (rural China, informal India) are described in their prevailing configuration. The rights rating is an editorial synthesis by AEGIS and does not substitute the underlying primary sources.