• Sweden second best country for mothers

Sweden has been ranked by a UN backed report as the best county in the world to grow old. Nordic countries ranked well, as Norway was found to be the second best after Sweden and Iceland came ninth.

Meanwhile, elderly people living in Afghanistan fare the worst in the Global Agewatch Index.

Sweden was applauded for its pension and social care systems, although the report raised concern over growing wealth gap.

“In 1913, it introduced the world’s first universal social pension scheme. The 100 year-celebration underlines that many years of development of social welfare is behind Sweden’s ranking on the Index.

“About half of Sweden’s elderly are members in one of the five national pensioners’ organisations. Over the years they have been strong advocates for the rights of older people.

“Indexes built on aggregated national data do not take into account economic, gender, social and other inequalities. At present pensioners’ organisations are concerned that the economic gap between pensioners and wage-earners is increasing. They strongly oppose the widening of this gap due to a tax system that puts higher taxes on income from pensions than on corresponding income from salaries.

TOP 10

1. Sweden

2. Norway

3. Germany

4. Netherlands

5. Canada

6. Switzerland

7. New Zealand

8. USA

9. Iceland

10. Japan

Britain came in at 13, ahead of Australia (14) and France (18). Lower down in the rankings were the emerging economies of Brazil (31), China (35), South Africa (65), India (73) and Russia (78).

BOTTOM 10:

82. Honduras

83. Montenegro

84. West Bank and Gaza

85. Nigeria

86. Malawi

87. Rwanda

88. Jordan

89. Pakistan

90. Tanzania

91. Afghanistan
Source: UN

The index, compiled by the HelpAge International advocacy group and the UN Population Fund, ranks 91 countries by comparing data from the World Health Organization and other agencies on older people’s incomes, health, education, employment and their environments.