The Netherlands, Denmark and Iceland took the top three positions in the Marsh CFA Institute Global Pension Index 2026. The study covered 55 pension systems representing approximately 66% of the world’s population. Ukraine and Serbia were not included among the countries assessed, the Experts Club information and analytical center reports, citing the official report published on October 20.
The Netherlands retained its leading position with a score of 85.8 points out of 100. Denmark received 84.1 points, moving from third place to second, while Iceland ranked third with 84.0 points.
Singapore (82.0 points), Israel (81.9 points) and Australia (80.6 points) also joined the six countries awarded the highest A grade. Australia entered the top category for the first time, improving its score from 77.6 points in 2025.
The next positions were occupied by Chile (79.2 points), Sweden (78.8), Finland (77.6) and Norway (77.0). Switzerland ranked 11th with 73.6 points.
The index, published for the eighteenth time, assesses not only pension payments but also the ability of pension systems to provide citizens with stable incomes over the long term. Its methodology includes more than 50 indicators grouped into three categories: pension adequacy (40% of the overall score), long-term sustainability (35%), and the integrity of management and regulation (25%).
The Netherlands received 87.7 points for adequacy, 82.6 points for sustainability and 87.2 points for integrity. Its strong performance reflects a combination of public pensions, occupational funded pension schemes and substantial pension fund assets.
Denmark recorded the world’s highest long-term sustainability score at 84.8 points. Iceland received 84.3 points under the same criterion. Meanwhile, the average global pension index score increased by 1.1 points compared with the previous year.
The study identified a significant gap between current pension levels and the financial capacity to maintain them in the future. France received 85.0 points for adequacy but only 49.3 points for sustainability. Spain recorded corresponding scores of 83.0 and 33.0 points. Even lower sustainability results were reported for Italy (27.0) and Austria (23.9).
Among Central and Eastern European countries, Croatia received 66.1 points and Poland 58.4 points. Germany ranked 25th with 67.9 points. The United States scored 61.6 points, China 60.6 and Japan 58.0. Argentina received the lowest overall score at 43.7 points.
Ukraine’s absence from the study means its position in the global ranking cannot be determined, nor can the reliability of its pension system be directly compared with those of the countries assessed. Nevertheless, the findings highlight the importance of diversifying retirement income sources, developing funded pension mechanisms and ensuring effective asset management.
The authors paid particular attention to population aging, declining birth rates and increasing life expectancy. In 2026, the methodology was expanded to include an assessment of pension income adequacy for people aged 80.
For Ukraine, these challenges are intensified by the consequences of war, labor migration and demographic changes. The experience of leading countries suggests that pension reform should address not only increases in current payments but also the financial stability of the system over the coming decades.
The Netherlands continues to enjoy one of the highest levels of positive perception among Ukrainians: in August 2026, a total of 71.3% of respondents expressed a positive attitude toward the country, while only 1.6% expressed a negative one. Compared to March, the share of positive assessments declined slightly, but the net sentiment remains one of the highest among the countries surveyed, according to the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center. Experts.news
According to the results of the August survey, 28.4% of Ukrainians have a completely positive attitude toward the Netherlands, and 42.9% have a mostly positive attitude. A neutral stance is held by 26.4% of respondents. 1.4% view the country mostly negatively, only 0.2% view it entirely negatively, and another 0.8% were undecided.
The net balance of positive and negative assessments, based on rounded figures, stands at plus 69.7 percentage points. Based on this indicator, the Netherlands ranks among the countries with the most favorable public perception among Ukrainians, trailing only Canada and Sweden in the overall ranking.
A previous survey conducted in March 2026 also showed a very high level of favorability. At that time, 34.3% of respondents viewed the Netherlands entirely positively, 38.5% viewed it mostly positively, and 24.2% held a neutral position. In the aggregated results, the share of positive assessments was reported at 72.7%, while negative assessments accounted for only 1.2%.
Thus, between March and August, the overall share of positive assessments decreased by approximately 1.4 percentage points. At the same time, the structure of positive attitudes changed more noticeably: the share of entirely positive responses decreased by 5.9 percentage points, while that of mostly positive responses increased by 4.4 percentage points. The share of neutral assessments increased by approximately 2.2 percentage points. Overall, these changes do not indicate a significant deterioration in attitudes—the negative segment remains minimal.
Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research firm Active Group, had previously highlighted the stability of the Netherlands’ positive image. He attributed the high ratings to the country’s consistent stance and a nature of engagement that is understandable to Ukrainian society. In his view, stable indicators across several survey waves are more important than minor fluctuations between individual measurements.
This positive public perception is also coupled with trade figures that are favorable to Ukraine. In the first half of 2026, trade with the Netherlands totaled approximately $1.82 billion, with Ukrainian exports exceeding $1 billion and a trade surplus for Ukraine of about $221.5 million.
Thus, the Netherlands remains an example of a country where a high level of public support is combined with its important role as a market for Ukrainian exports. A slight decline in the positive rating compared to March does not currently change the overall picture: only a small portion of respondents view the country negatively.
ACTIVE GROUP, EUROPEAN UNION, EXPERTS CLUB, FOREIGN TRADE, international relations, NETHERLANDS, Pozniy, PUBLIC OPINION, SOCIOLOGY, UKRAINE
The Dutch government has pledged to purchase drones and air defense equipment for Ukraine totaling EUR500 million, according to Reuters.
“Drones worth 250 million euros will be purchased from Dutch defense companies. The remaining 250 million euros will be spent as part of the initiative to supply Ukraine with weapons manufactured in the United States (PURL),” the report states.
With this new announcement, the Netherlands’ total contribution to the PURL initiative will reach EUR1 billion. The initiative involves supplying Ukraine with air defense equipment and missiles, as well as ammunition for F-16 fighter jets and other systems.
The Netherlands and Ukraine also signed a letter of intent regarding cooperation in the field of defense innovation.
Agricultural holding Kernel is expanding its presence in the European consumer market: in the Netherlands, just a year and a half after launching its own sunflower oil brand, Bestolie&Kernel, sales have already reached 5.5 million liters, the company’s press service reported on Monday.
“The European market is very competitive and ‘closed’ to new brands. It is dominated by large international FMCG companies and supermarket chains’ private labels. Getting on the shelf is difficult, and staying there is even harder,” the release quotes Serhiy Neroshchyn, director of the marketing and sales department for packaged products at Kernel, as saying.
The company noted that it previously produced oil for the Dutch food distributor Fangoo&Zon Impex under a private label, whereas the launch of its own Bestolie&Kernel brand in 2024 allowed the company to build a complete value chain—from the Ukrainian field to the European consumer.
“Kernel” is responsible for production and quality control at all stages—from seed to finished oil—as confirmed by ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 certifications, while Fangoo&Zon Impex handles distribution in the local market.
Since its launch, the company has also expanded its product range, adding new packaging formats and frying oil for the HoReCa segment.
“Kernel” estimates its share of global sunflower oil exports at 10%. Kernel sells refined sunflower oil in Ukraine under its own brands, “Stozhar” and “Shchedry Dar,” and exports it under its own Kernel brands to 12 European countries, as well as to Jordan, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Guinea, under the Le Blanc and Premi brands in Egypt, the Middle East, and South Asia, as well as under its partners’ private labels.
Fangoo&Zon Impex is a Dutch company specializing in the import and distribution of food products and FMCG goods in the Benelux countries.
Kernel Agricultural Holding is the world’s largest producer and exporter of sunflower oil, Ukraine’s largest grain exporter, an operator of an extensive network of logistics assets, and a leading producer of grain and oilseeds in Ukraine. It is one of the largest producers and sellers of bottled oil in Ukraine. It is engaged in the cultivation and sale of agricultural products.
According to results for the first nine months of fiscal year 2026 (July 2025 – March 2026), Kernel saw its net profit decline by 5% to $208 million, while its revenue increased by 0.4% to $3.092 billion, and EBITDA by 1% to $403 million.
Two planes carrying 28 passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship, where an outbreak of hantavirus occurred, landed in the Netherlands on Tuesday, and one of the Dutch hospitals treating a patient with hantavirus has quarantined 12 staff members as a precautionary measure, Reuters reports.
Western media also report that passengers who are not Dutch nationals will be sent for treatment in their home countries.
Employees of the Dutch medical center at the University of Nijmegen have been placed under a six-week preventive quarantine, as it was discovered that updated strict protocols were not followed while handling test samples. The hospital reported that the risk of infection for employees remains “very low.”
According to the latest data, three passengers on the MV Hondius have died from hantavirus: a married couple from the Netherlands and a German citizen.
About ten people tested positive for hantavirus. It was noted that the deceased woman and a British man currently in intensive care in South Africa were found to have the Andes strain of hantavirus. Only this type of hantavirus is transmitted from person to person, the country’s Ministry of Health emphasized. Western media reported that this strain is common in Latin America, particularly in Argentina, where the cruise began.
Nova Post, which entered the Dutch market in late 2024 with a door-to-door delivery service, increased its shipment volumes in the country fivefold in 2025 thanks to network expansion, collaboration with local partners, and e-commerce platforms.
According to a statement by Nova Post on Telegram on Wednesday, as of now, nearly 1,400 service points are available to customers in the Netherlands, and this year the company plans to integrate with Vinted Go, which will add another 1,700 parcel lockers and pickup points across the country.
In addition, Nova Post intends to collaborate with Sendcloud, a delivery automation platform for online stores, which will enable business customers to work with Nova Post through a single delivery management system.
It is noted that the company is seeking partners to open additional mini-branches in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Breda, and Eindhoven, while in 2025 it opened a freight branch in Utrecht and a pickup and drop-off point in Rotterdam.
At the same time, the report does not include information on the volume of shipments in the Netherlands for 2025.
Vyacheslav Klimov, co-owner of the express delivery leader Nova Poshta, said in March of this year that Nova Post Europe plans to double its network of branches in Europe in 2026 and keep its strategy focused on ensuring maximum delivery speed.
Nova Post Europe processed 13 million international shipments in 2025 and plans to increase this volume by over 30% in 2026 and maintain this pace through 2030, Nova Post Europe CEO Oleksandr Lysovets previously stated in an interview with Forbes Ukraine. According to him, these plans will be supported by a new phase of European expansion with investments exceeding $5 million.
The core business of Nova Post, the main asset of the NOVA Group, is express delivery of documents, parcels, and palletized oversized cargo. Its ultimate beneficial owners are Volodymyr Poperechnyuk and Klimov.
