Populations can become older or younger depending on their age structure
An ageing population is a population where the proportion of elderly people is increasing
UN estimates 12% of the worlds population are aged over 60 and 1.7% are aged over 80
By 2045 the number of old people living in the world is expected to be higher than the number of children living in the world for the first time ever
Over 2 billion people aged over 60 are expected to be living in 2050
Majority of people aged over 80 live in MEDC countries
Minority of people aged over 80 live in LDC countries
Mortality decline at older ages leads to an ageing of the elderly population
Lower mortality leads to an increased life expectancy
The age transition follows the demographic transition
1 of 8
Fertility and Ageing Populations
Fertility can lead to an ageing population as a low fertility means fewer babies which means there are fewer younger people living in the population which leads to a higher proportion of the population who are elderly
2 of 8
Impacts of an Ageing Population
Healthcare costs
Social services costs
Higher demand of pensions
Smaller number of working age people
3 of 8
Demographic Timebomb
A demographic timebomb is when there are fewer working age people and more pensioners who are living longer
Not enough contributors for the increasing pension demand
Japan employing workers from abroad to stop it from having a demographic timebomb due to its low fertility rate and ageing population
4 of 8
Pensions
Publicly funded pay-as-you-go pension systems face serious issues as the number of claimers is increasing and the number of contributors are decreasing
5 of 8
Retirement Age
Various countires have raised their legal retirement age
Generally accepted in USA and Germany
Has caused conflict in France
6 of 8
Five Oldest Countries
Ranked by proportion of people aged 60+
Japan
Italy
Germany
Finland
Sweden
7 of 8
Causes of Death in Ageing Populations
Chronic (non-communicable) diseases are responsible for 60% of deaths in an ageing populaiton
Cardiovascular disease
Cancer
Chronic respiratory disease
Diabetes
Alzheimers
Modifiable factors...
Lack of exercise
Smoking
Unhealthy diet
Harmful use of alcohol
Many people are living with these conditions undiagnosed which leads to more complicated and costly treatment later in life
Treatment costs very high
The universal spread of public healthcare could make the costs even more expensive
Extra emphasis on prevention of diseases including workplace wellness programmes
Comments
No comments have yet been made