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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The Netherlands has Europe’s highest-scoring retirement income system in the 2025 Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index, with an overall score of 85.4. Iceland and Denmark rank next. These are rankings of pension systems—not recommendations about where an individual should move or a measure of how much a particular retiree will receive.
Which European countries rank highest?
The table orders European entries by their published 2025 overall score. The index ranks retirement income systems worldwide; this is a Europe-only ordering of those results, not a separate regional rating.
| Rank | Country or system | Overall | Adequacy | Sustainability | Integrity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 85.4 | 86.1 | 83.5 | 86.8 |
| 2 | Iceland | 84.0 | 83.0 | 85.7 | 83.3 |
| 3 | Denmark | 82.3 | 82.9 | 85.0 | 77.6 |
| 4 | Sweden | 78.2 | 76.8 | 76.3 | 83.0 |
| 5 | Finland | 76.6 | 77.4 | 65.6 | 90.6 |
| 6 | Norway | 76.0 | 77.8 | 65.2 | 88.4 |
| 7 | Switzerland | 72.4 | 66.3 | 72.9 | 81.6 |
| 8 | United Kingdom | 72.2 | 75.9 | 63.2 | 79.0 |
| 9 | France | 70.3 | 85.2 | 48.6 | 76.8 |
| 10 | Belgium | 69.2 | 81.5 | 42.7 | 86.8 |
Scores are from CFA Institute’s 2025 Global Pension Index table. Croatia is the next European entry at 68.7, followed by Germany (67.8), Ireland (67.7), Portugal (67.6), and Spain (63.8).
What the three scores say about a pension system
The 2025 index compares 52 retirement income systems using more than 50 indicators and covers 65% of the world’s population, according to CFA Institute’s overview. Its overall score combines three dimensions:
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- Adequacy: how well the system provides current retirement benefits.
- Sustainability: the system’s prospects for remaining viable in the future.
- Integrity: the regulatory and governance dimension of the system.
The component scores can tell a different story from the overall ranking. France scores 85.2 for adequacy but 48.6 for sustainability. Finland’s 90.6 integrity score is its strongest dimension, while its sustainability score is 65.6. Looking at the profile alongside the total helps explain what is driving a system’s placement; it does not convert the score into a forecast of an individual’s pension.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does this ranking tell you where to retire?
No. It compares national retirement income systems, not destinations for foreign retirees. A high score does not establish whether you can obtain residency, qualify for benefits, afford housing and daily expenses, access healthcare, or receive favorable tax treatment in a country. Those questions depend on personal circumstances and current country-specific rules.
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The report also cautions that comparing pension systems is complicated by their distinct cultural, economic, and historical contexts. Tim Jenkins, the report’s lead author and a Partner at Mercer, said: “Pension systems with no or limited restrictions tend to perform better in the Index,” in CFA Institute’s 15 October 2025 release. The index is useful for comparing system-level strengths and pressures, but not as a stand-alone relocation decision tool.
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