Money
Visualizing Global Attitudes Towards Retirement
Global Attitudes Towards Retirement
There’s a reason retirement is often referred to as the golden years.
Many view retirement as a welcome reward following a successful career. The transition, however, is not always easy. An enjoyable retirement is often dictated by the amount of money people have set aside.
Today’s infographic from Raconteur visualizes attitudes towards retirement around the world, comparing expectations and actualities for retirement income.
Does reality meet their expectations?
Income Expectations Vary by Country
A global survey by asset manager Schroders—looking at 22,000 investors from 30 countries—highlights that retirement income often falls short of expectations.
Here’s what non-retirees (55+ in age) expect to make in retirement as a percentage of their salary, compared to the actual incomes generated by retirees:
Country | Expectation (% of salary) | Actual (% of salary) | Difference |
---|---|---|---|
🇵🇱 Poland | 103 | 56 | -47 |
🇯🇵 Japan | 81 | 37 | -44 |
🇮🇩 Indonesia | 105 | 65 | -40 |
🇨🇱 Chile* | 93 | 57 | -36 |
🇭🇰 Hong Kong | 80 | 44 | -36 |
🇷🇺 Russia* | 66 | 32 | -34 |
🇸🇬 Singapore | 67 | 42 | -25 |
🇰🇷 South Korea | 67 | 45 | -22 |
🇿🇦 South Africa | 80 | 59 | -21 |
🇧🇪 Belgium | 75 | 54 | -21 |
🇦🇺 Australia | 71 | 52 | -20 |
🇸🇪 Sweden | 83 | 66 | -17 |
🇫🇷 France | 78 | 61 | -17 |
🇺🇸 U.S. | 74 | 58 | -16 |
🇧🇷 Brazil | 88 | 74 | -14 |
🇨🇭 Switzerland | 68 | 55 | -13 |
🇬🇧 U.K. | 66 | 53 | -13 |
🇨🇳 China* | 80 | 67 | -13 |
🇨🇦 Canada | 71 | 61 | -10 |
🇩🇰 Denmark | 74 | 68 | -6 |
🇮🇹 Italy | 80 | 74 | -6 |
🇳🇱 Netherlands | 75 | 69 | -6 |
🇪🇸 Spain | 73 | 68 | -5 |
🇩🇪 Germany | 67 | 65 | -2 |
🇹🇭 Thailand* | 66 | 64 | -1 |
🇦🇹 Austria | 64 | 67 | 3 |
🇮🇳 India | 71 | 96 | 25 |
🇵🇹 Portugal | 46 | 72 | 26 |
🇹🇼 Taiwan* | 68 | 117 | 49 |
*Denotes countries with small sample sizes.
Not having enough money at retirement is a nearly universal issue, and 51% of employees with a workplace pension are worried that they won’t make enough to live their ideal retirement life.
Of course, there are always notable exceptions to every rule.
In India, for example, the reality of retirement is often better than anticipated. Non-retirees expect that 71% of their annual salary will provide what is needed to live comfortably in retirement, but in practice they get 96% of their salary in retirement—far higher than they thought.
Most Important Aspirations
The world is divided when it comes to working into retirement. The majority of people want to spend their retirement doing non-work related activities:
- Traveling: 60%
- Spending more time with friends and family: 57%
- Pursuing new hobbies: 49%
- Volunteer work: 27%
That said, 59% of employees in Italy, the U.S., and Australia expect to continue working while retired, while only 32% in the Netherlands have the same expectation. This may be partially due to the strength of the Dutch pension system, which is rated as one of the best in the world.
A Changing Retirement Landscape
The reality of retirement continues to evolve by country and by generation.
Today, only 15% of the population in developed countries is above 65 years of age—but by 2050, the proportion will more than double. People between the ages of 40 and 50 are known as the “Sandwich Generation” because they are simultaneously supporting their retired parents and their own children.
While increasing life expectancy affords people the luxury of spending more time with loved ones, will we be able to afford to live longer?
GDP
Visualizing U.S. GDP by Industry in 2023
Services-producing industries account for the majority of U.S. GDP in 2023, followed by other private industries and the government.

Visualizing U.S. GDP by Industry
The U.S. economy is like a giant machine driven by many different industries, each one akin to an essential cog that moves the whole.
Understanding the breakdown of national gross domestic product (GDP) by industry shows where commercial activity is bustling and how diverse the economy truly is.
The above infographic uses data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis to visualize a breakdown of U.S. GDP by industry in 2023. To show this, we use value added by industry, which reflects the difference between gross output and the cost of intermediate inputs.
The Top 10 U.S. Industries by GDP
As of Q1 2023, the annualized GDP of the U.S. sits at $26.5 trillion.
Of this, 88% or $23.5 trillion comes from private industries. The remaining $3 trillion is government spending at the federal, state, and local levels.
Here’s a look at the largest private industries by economic contribution in the United States:
Industry | Annualized Nominal GDP (as of Q1 2023) | % of U.S. GDP |
---|---|---|
Professional and business services | $3.5T | 13% |
Real estate, rental, and leasing | $3.3T | 12% |
Manufacturing | $2.9T | 11% |
Educational services, health care, and social assistance | $2.3T | 9% |
Finance and insurance | $2.0T | 8% |
Wholesale trade | $1.7T | 6% |
Retail trade | $1.5T | 6% |
Information | $1.5T | 6% |
Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services | $1.2T | 4% |
Construction | $1.1T | 4% |
Other private industries | $2.6T | 10% |
Total | $23.5T | 88% |
Like most other developed nations, the U.S. economy is largely based on services.
Service-based industries, including professional and business services, real estate, finance, and health care, make up the bulk (70%) of U.S. GDP. In comparison, goods-producing industries like agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and construction play a smaller role.
Professional and business services is the largest industry with $3.5 trillion in value added. It comprises establishments providing legal, consulting, design, administration, and other services. This is followed by real estate at $3.3 trillion, which has consistently been an integral part of the economy.
Due to outsourcing and other factors, the manufacturing industry’s share of GDP has been declining for decades, but it still remains a significant part of the economy. Manufacturing of durable goods (metals, machines, computers) accounts for $1.6 trillion in value added, alongside nondurable goods (food, petroleum, chemicals) at $1.3 trillion.
The Government’s Contribution to GDP
Just like private industries, the government’s value added to GDP consists of compensation of employees, taxes collected (less subsidies), and gross operating surplus.
Government | Annualized Nominal GDP (as of Q1 2023) | % of U.S. GDP |
---|---|---|
State and Local | $2.1T | 8% |
Federal | $0.9T | 4% |
Total | $3.1T | 12% |
Figures may not add up to the total due to rounding.
State and local government spending, largely focused on the education and public welfare sectors, accounts for the bulk of value added. The Federal contribution to GDP amounts to roughly $948 billion, with 52% of it attributed to national defense.
The Fastest Growing Industries (2022–2032P)
In the next 10 years, services-producing industries are projected to see the fastest growth in output.
The table below shows the five fastest-growing industries in the U.S. from 2022–2032 in terms of total output, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Industry | Sector | Compound Annual Rate of Output Growth (2022–2032P) |
---|---|---|
Software publishers | Information | 5.2% |
Computing infrastructure providers, data processing, and related services | Information | 3.9% |
Wireless telecommunications carriers (except satellite) | Information | 3.6% |
Home health care services | Health care and social assistance | 3.6% |
Oil and gas extraction | Mining | 3.5% |
Three of the fastest-growing industries are in the information sector, underscoring the growing role of technology and digital infrastructure. Meanwhile, the projected growth of the oil and gas extraction industry highlights the enduring demand for traditional energy sources, despite the energy transition.
Overall, the development of these industries suggests that the U.S. will continue its shift toward a services-oriented economy. But today, it’s also worth noticing how services- and goods-producing industries are increasingly tied together. For example, it’s now common for tech companies to produce devices, and for manufacturers to use software in their operations.
Therefore, the oncoming tide of growth in service-based industries could potentially lift other interconnected sectors of the diverse U.S. economy.
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