World: Debt crisis victim: Europe’s strong social welfare programs?
- seven number of workers for every European retiree now
- 1.3 number of workers expected for
every retiree in 2050 source
- » Why this is bad for Europe: Most nations in the continent have largely benefited from low military spending and as a result have given retirees some strong social welfare benefits. But a number of factors – the debt crisis, the declining birth rate, the overall growing age of the population – have started to make this model look shaky.