Demographic and social challenges in the design of public pension schemes

Demographic changes and social transformations affect the design of public pension systems. Population ageing and factors such as the progressive reduction in fertility rates and the increase in longevity have a direct impact on the sustainability of public pensions, especially in defined-benefit schemes. The study of longer life expectancy requires an analysis of its effects on specific issues such as pension adequacy (both contributory and non-contributory pensions), pensioners receiving several public benefits simultaneously (for instance, retirement and widow/widower’s pensions) and the availability of sufficient financial resources to meet health and long-term care costs during retirement. This chapter presents an applied view of the evolution of the main demographic indicators and their effect on pension systems, based on previous studies carried out by the authors.