Cross-national comparability

More than 30 countries have conducted at least one wave of data collection, including counties of the European Union, South America, and Southeast Asia. The comparative focus allows analyses of the ways in which policies, culture and economic circumstances influence dependencies between men and women and between the young and the old.

The GGS covers a wide range of countries and territories across different regions, with a focus on medium and high-income countries. Participating countries and territories represent diverse economic, social, and political contexts. GGS-I includes 19 countries, primarily focusing on UNECE member states. As of 2025, GGS-II covers 28 countries. From the outset, it adopted a more global perspective—focusing not only on countries that participated in GGS-I, but also expanding to additional European countries (e.g., Croatia, Finland, United Kingdom) and beyond Europe to East Asia (e.g., Hong Kong SAR, South Korea, Taiwan), Central Asia (e.g., Kazakhstan), and Latin America (e.g., Argentina [Buenos Aires], Uruguay). Participating countries are expected to commit to at least two waves, although this is subject to funding.