The $400 Trillion Problem No One Wants to Talk About

The world’s pension promise is unraveling. In the 1950s, sixteen workers supported each retiree; today, that number has shrunk to just 2.7. This dramatic shift is straining pay-as-you-go pension systems to the breaking point. By 2050, one in six people will be over 65, yet politicians are hesitant to implement tough reforms that would require individuals to work longer, contribute more, or accept smaller benefits. Could Denmark’s approach, which ties the retirement age to life expectancy, or Sweden’s automatic adjustment model, offer a way out? Or will a staggering $400 trillion global retirement gap shake the foundations of economies everywhere? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can listen to The $400 Trillion Problem No One Wants to Talk About online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The $400 Trillion Problem No One Wants to Talk About is an episode from Economics Explained by Economics Explained.

This episode is 17:05 long.

This episode was published on Nov 17, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Economics Explained when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.