Universal pensions have transformed the lives of older people and their families in countries in Latin America such as Brazil, Bolivia and Chile. HelpAge International supports the World Bank's recommendation, which can be found in its new working paper, that reducing old age poverty requires a different approach from other age groups and a minimum pension is a likely viable option.
HelpAge International welcomes a new working paper by the World Bank that endorses universal minimum pensions as an effective and administratively simple way to substantially reduce poverty among the older generation. Over 340 million older people lack income security today and if nothing is done this will rise to 1.5 billion people by 2050.