U.S. Is Still Not Among Top 10 Countries for Retirement

The United States doesn’t get great grades globally when it comes to retirement. For 10 years, French investment bank Natixis has been keeping score with its Global Retirement Index. The U.S. has usually been in the top 20 best countries for retirement (except for the first year of the survey), but never cracked the top 10. Those top spots seem reserved for countries such as Norway, which took first place this year, as it did in 2017.

Natixis ranks 44 countries using factors that affect financial security and material well-being, including unemployment and income inequality. The U.S.’s overall score dipped this year, driven by lower scores on measures including tax pressure and government debt, landing at No. 18 on the list.

The good news is, we’re better than we used to be. In 2012, the first year of the index, the U.S. scored a dismal 23rd place. We peaked at No. 14 in 2016. 

What happened? The top reason for our lower ranking is rising healthcare costs: It’s no surprise that with a fragmented health care system, the U.S. gets poor scores in health. To find out more, check out our story on the index.

— Jill Cornfield, deputy editor

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