Assessing Chile’s pension system: challenges and reform options

This paper takes stock of Chile’s defined contribution pension system and assesses reform options aimed at increasing replacement rates. An international comparison shows that, despite being quite influential when established, it is now delivering low replacement rates relative to OECD peers, as its parameters did not adapt over time to changing demographics, declining global returns, higher-than-expected informality in the labor market, and, more recently, to legislation allowing for pension savings withdrawals to counter the effects from the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that a reform that raises contribution rates and the retirement age would significantly improve replacement rates and lower fiscal costs associated with the system, especially if accompanied by complementary policies to boost workers’ contribution density.