Using a large sample of countries and 60 years of data, the authors found a strong and intuitive link between demographic transitions and both GDP growth and capital market returns. Unlike previous researchers, who used ad hoc and restrictive demographic variables, the authors imposed a smooth...

One of the most interesting features of the Chilean pension system is that approximately two-thirds of all retirees purchase annuities, resulting in annuitization rates much higher than in other countries. In this paper we review recent developments in the payout market for Chilean pensions,...

This chapter describes the operation of both the compulsory pension annuity and voluntary annuity markets in the U.K. and evaluates prices using a money's worth approach. We find that the money's worth was about 0.90 to 2004 but it then fell to about 0.80, although there is uncertainty about the...

We explore the workings of the German private annuity market to evaluate whether annuities are delivering an adequate value for money by measuring their money's worth. We examine key features of the German private annuity market and give a comprehensive description of the main product groups,...

This chapter documents the substantial decline in traditional sources of longevity insurance, and shows that published statistics on the individual annuity market greatly overstate its size and growth. It considers whether the decline in annuitization rates is cause for concern. It then...

India will need to develop a robust annuity market if it is to enable its rapidly aging population to address longevity risk. As the fraction aged triples by 2050, driving a huge potential demand for annuity-type products that will need to be matched by responses from annuity providers....

This chapter analyzes the structure of demand for retirement products in Sweden using both aggregate and individual data. We show that all occupational groups except white collar workers are more likely to choose a 5-year withdrawal rather than a life annuity, as are women and those with less...

This paper investigates the effects of each age group in the population on housing prices, the returns on different classes of bonds and the excess returns on equity across countries and over time. Previous empirical research focusing on a single country found a negative effect of the ratio of...

This paper describes the operation of both the compulsory pension annuity and voluntary annuity markets in the UK. The paper reports on the movement of UK annuity price quotes in the voluntary market from 1957-2009, and in the pension annuity market from 1994 to 2009, and examines whether...