Document Type
Working Paper
Date of this Version
8-6-2015
Abstract
Countries around the world face a retirement crisis brought on by ageing populations, declining birthrates, and fiscal shortfalls. As a result, policymakers increasingly seek to understand retirement savings patterns—a crucial component of the safety net for the elderly. Drawing on the 2014 Global Findex database, which provides individual-level data on the use of financial products in more than 140 countries, we examine how adults save for old age. We find that about 25% of adults worldwide save for old age, with rates exceeding 35% in high-income OECD economies and the East Asia and Pacific region. On average, men are slightly more likely than women to save for this purpose, but the gender gap is deeper in developing countries. Worldwide, saving for old age is more common among older adults, more educated adults, and adults who own accounts. Adults in countries with English or German legal origin, and with high savings rates, are also more likely to save for old age. We also find that measures to increase trust in the financial system—such as deposit insurance—lead to higher rates of saving for old age. Finally, we find no evidence of substitution between pension system provisions and contribution rates with saving for old age.
Keywords
Saving, old age, financial inclusion
Working Paper Number
WP2015-19
Copyright/Permission Statement
All findings, interpretations, and conclusions of this paper represent the views of the authors and not those of the Wharton School or the Pension Research Council. © 2015 Pension Research Council of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.
Date Posted: 12 March 2019
Comments
The published version of this Working Paper may be found in the 2016 publication: Retirement System Risk Management.