Pensions at a Glance: Asia and Pacific

This study combines rigorous analysis with clear, easy-to-understand presentation of empirical results. It does not advocate any particular kind of pension system or type of reform. The goal is to inform debates on retirement-income systems with data that people with different visions for the future of pensions can all use as a reference point. International comparisons of retirement-income regimes to date have mainly focused on financial substantiality: whether the pension promises made to today’s workers will be affordable in the future. Much less attention has been paid to the future adequacy of pension benefits, the impact of pension reforms on the distribution of income among older people and ways of combating old-age poverty. These issues, which may be termed social sustainability, are a core concern of this study.