Highlights:  

• In Bolivia, a new pension law entered was implemented, lowering the retirement age and nationalized the private pension system. (2010)
• In Hungary, the privatization of pensions was reversed (2011)
• In Saudi Arabia, a series of royal decrees was issued to increase the social welfare, including extending the coverage of social insurance, expanding social services, increasing the subsidy for education, and a new subsidy on housing and utility bills. (2011)
• In Nepal, the government announced a new social protection scheme which offers guaranteed employment for up to 100 days for people living below the poverty line. (2012)
• In Uruguay, transsexuals were included as beneficiaries of the Social Card (2012)
• In Tunisia, the government signed a social contract after the Arab Spring (2013)
• Djibouti and Iran announced universal health care systems (2014)
• In Poland, the individual accounts were first downsized (2011) and then transferred back to the ZUS social insurance PAYG system (2014)
• In China, the two pension systems for public servants and for private employees were unified. (2015)
• In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the government announced the establishment of a Universal Health Insurance Fund to cover all diseases and to support the entire population. (2015)
• In Brazil, the Federal Government approved an austerity package that limits public social spending for the next 20 years to the inflation rate of the previous year. In Rio de Janeiro, the State Government has also announced a set of austerity measures that comprise a decrease in pension benefits of state employees and the elimination of social benefits to the homeless and the poor. (2016)
• In the Czech Republic, the new government ended the Individual account system (2016)
• In Ukraine, the transition from public to a private health system was authorized. Also, the country has adopted legislation to reform the pensions system, in line with an International Monetary Fund (IMF) assistance programme. (2017)
• In the United States, several states have approved pension reforms that will increase retirement ages, hike contributions, freezing indexation, and enforce the enrolment in a 401(k) style retirement plan for civil servants and public school teachers, among other measures. (2017)
• In Georgia, a new public retirement savings plan based on individual retirement accounts was announced. This “Accumulated Pension System” (APS) will be administered by the Pension Agency of Georgia (PA).
• In the United Kingdom, low-income families are losing their child benefits. Eligibility criteria will be restricted for all new benefit claims. (2018)
• In Nicaragua, announced measures to raise pension contribution rates and divert pension benefits from medical care were cancelled after an unleashed wave of violent protests, looting and clashes with police that left at least 25 dead. (2018)
• In Nigeria, the federal government has launched the Micro Pension Plan which extends contributory participation to the informal sector. This is indeed an exciting development for Africa's most populous country, boasting a workforce of over 80 million workers. (2019)
• In Côte d'Ivoire, a universal health insurance program has been started in April 2019. The new compulsory national scheme aims to provide low cost access to public health facilities. (2019)
• In Mexico, the iconic Prospera program (formerly known as Progresa and Oportunidades) has been abolished. Funding for this program has since been re-allocated to two universal schemes (including the Pensión para el Bienestar de las Personas Adultas Mayores, an universal non-contributory pension). (2019)