Monday 1 July 2013

Population Ageing


Number of persons aged 60 years or over
There are approximately 810 million persons aged 60 years or over in the world in 2012 and this number is projected to grow to more than 2 billion by 2050. At that point, older persons will outnumber the population of children (0-14 years) for the first time in human history. Asia has more than half (55 per cent) of the world’s older persons, followed by Europe, which accounts for 21 per cent of the total.

Proportion of the total population aged 60 years or over 
One out of every nine persons in the world is aged 60 years or over. By 2050, one out of every five persons is projected to be in that age group. The proportion of the total population that is 60 years or older is much higher in the more developed regions than in the less developed regions: one in five persons in Europe; one in nine persons in Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean; and one in 16 persons in Africa. Although ageing is evolving fast in the more developed regions, the less developed regions will experience faster ageing over a much shorter period of time.

Share of persons aged 80 years or over 
The older population is itself ageing. Currently, the oldest old population (aged 80 years or over) accounts for 14 per cent of the population aged 60 years or over. The oldest old is the fastest growing age segment of the older population. By 2050, 20 per cent of the older population will be aged 80 years or over. The number of centenarians (aged 100 years or over) is growing even faster, and is projected to increase tenfold, from approximately 343,000 in 2012 to 3.2 million by 2050.

Sex ratio of older persons 
The majority of older persons are women and the sex ratio (number of men per 100 women) is lower the older the age group. In 2012, at the world level, there are 84 men per 100 women among older persons, and only 61 men for every 100 women among the oldest old. The ratio of men to women at older ages is lower in the more developed regions (89 men per 100 women) than in the less developed regions (men per 100 women) because women outlive men by a wider margin in the more developed regions.

Life expectancy at age 60 
The world has experienced large improvements in longevity, while the gap across development regions has narrowed. In 1950-1955, life expectancy at birth was 66 years in the more developed regions compared with only 42 years in the less developed regions. By 2010-2015, it will reach 78 years and 67 years, respectively. On average, of those surviving to age 60 in 2010-2015, men can expect to live an additional 18 years and women an additional 22 years. Life expectancy at age 60 varies significantly across development regions. Men reaching age 60 can expect to live only 18 more years in the less developed regions compared to 21 more years in the more developed regions. Women reaching age 60 can expect to live an additional 20 years in the less developed regions compared with an additional 25 years in the more developed regions.

Proportion of older persons who are currently married 
Older men are more likely to be married than older women. At the world level, 81 per cent of older men are currently married, compared to only 50 per cent of older women. Sex differences in the proportion married are largest in least developed countries (85 per cent for men compared to 38 per cent for women), where the age difference between spouses is higher and widowers are more likely to remarry. Most older unmarried persons are widowed. Women are more likely to outlive their spouses because they live longer and are, on average, younger than their husbands.

Proportion of older persons who are living independently 
Living independently, that is, either living alone or only with one's spouse, is rare among older persons in developing countries, but is the dominant living arrangement in developed countries. An estimated 40 per cent of the world’s older persons live independently, with no discernible difference by sex. The gap in the proportion living independently between the more developed regions and the rest of the world is remarkable. Almost three quarters of all older persons in the more developed regions either live alone or only with their spouse compared with only a quarter in the less developed regions, and just over 10 per cent in the least developed countries. The predominance of independent living among older persons is likely to increase as the world’s population continues to age.

Old-age support ratio 
The old-age support ratio, that is, the number of persons aged 15 to 64 years per person aged 65 years or over, is an indicator of demographic ageing and of the degree of dependency of older persons on potential workers. Since 1950, the world old-age support ratio has been continuously declining, which means that there are less “workers” to support every person aged 65 years or over. The ratio fell from 12 to 8 working-age persons for each older person between 1950 and 2012, and is projected to further decrease to 4 by 2050. In 2012, the old-age support ratio was much higher in the less developed regions (11 working-age persons per older person) than in the more developed regions (4 working-age persons per older person). The old-age support ratio has important implications for the solvency of social security systems (pensions and public health), as well as for the demand of private transfers from the working-age population to older family members.

Proportion of the older population in the labour force 
Labour force participation among older persons varies by development region and gender. In 2012, the proportion of older persons who are economically active is much higher in the less developed regions (50 per cent among men and 22 per cent among women) than in the more developed regions (26 per cent among men and 15 per cent among women). Older persons in the less developed regions work until more advanced ages owing mainly to the limited coverage of social security schemes, as well as the relatively low value of the pensions received by those who are covered.

Statutory retirement age 
The statutory retirement age, which is defined as the minimum age at which people can qualify for full pension benefits, tends to be higher in developed countries than in developing countries. Also, in all countries of the world, the retirement age for women is the same as or lower than that for men—generally by five years. In most developed countries, men and women become eligible for full pension benefits at age 65 years or over, while in developing
countries, they often become eligible between 55 and 60 years. The lower statutory retirement ages common in developing countries is a reflection of their more incipient social security systems, their lower life expectancies and their higher old-age support ratios

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