Comparing Social Security Programs throughout the World
By Richard Shank
The Social Security Administration recently updated its series on social security programs around the world. This particular edition outlines the countries in Asia and the South Pacific. The reports in this series are meant to inform the debate about ways of approaching the challenges faced by the social security system.
The globe is facing major demographic changes and an evolving social landscape that is placing pressures on current social security programs. The Social Security Administration embarked on this comparative approach in order to fully understand the issues at hand and to better position themselves to respond to the changing “needs of individuals, households, and families.”
This publication series is a result of a joint research effort between the Social Security Administration and the International Social Security Association (ISSA). The ISSA is a nonprofit that was founded in 1927 as a way of bringing together organizations and administrations from all over the world.
Previous editions of this report date back to 1937. Each examines the types of social security programs that exist, types of mandatory retirement programs in use, demographics and other statistics that impact the social security system, and the contribution rates of each country.
To access this year’s reports (and previous reports), see the Social Security Administration’s website at www.ssa.gov
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