Aging Populations
Current world population is around 7,320,000,000 people (United States Census Bureau, 2016), a figure that is predicted to surpass nine billion by 2050. Most of this additional rise will be seen in the developing regions of the world, most notably in Africa where fertility and mortality levels are still high. In contrast, the developed regions of the world will only experience a small rise in population. A figure that would be negative if it wasn’t for large projected net migration figures (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division, 2009).
The ever increasing levels of population make for interesting study when comparing them against the changing demographic trends across the globe. Defined as a …show more content…
The first of these being; declining fertility. Fertility has fallen globally from 5 children per woman in 1950 to just over 2.5 in 2005, it is projected to fall further to just 2.0 by 2050. The second, is that of increases in life expectancy, global longevity has already increased from 47 years in 1950 to 65 years in 2010 and it is predicted to rise further to 75 years by 2050. The third driver, although not as fundamental as the first two, is significant variations in birth and death rates during certain periods. This is particularly prevalent in developed countries where the baby boomer cohort, born post WWII, are now reaching retirement age, thus altering the percentage of populations over the 60+ age bracket (Bloom, et al., 2010).
“Ageing is a triumph of development: People are living longer because of better nutrition, sanitation, health care, education and economic well-being. Although an ageing world poses social and economic challenges, the right set of policies can equip individuals, families and societies to address these challenges and to reap its benefits.” (United Nations Population Fund,
Current world population is around 7,320,000,000 people (United States Census Bureau, 2016), a figure that is predicted to surpass nine billion by 2050. Most of this additional rise will be seen in the developing regions of the world, most notably in Africa where fertility and mortality levels are still high. In contrast, the developed regions of the world will only experience a small rise in population. A figure that would be negative if it wasn’t for large projected net migration figures (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division, 2009).
The ever increasing levels of population make for interesting study when comparing them against the changing demographic trends across the globe. Defined as a …show more content…
The first of these being; declining fertility. Fertility has fallen globally from 5 children per woman in 1950 to just over 2.5 in 2005, it is projected to fall further to just 2.0 by 2050. The second, is that of increases in life expectancy, global longevity has already increased from 47 years in 1950 to 65 years in 2010 and it is predicted to rise further to 75 years by 2050. The third driver, although not as fundamental as the first two, is significant variations in birth and death rates during certain periods. This is particularly prevalent in developed countries where the baby boomer cohort, born post WWII, are now reaching retirement age, thus altering the percentage of populations over the 60+ age bracket (Bloom, et al., 2010).
“Ageing is a triumph of development: People are living longer because of better nutrition, sanitation, health care, education and economic well-being. Although an ageing world poses social and economic challenges, the right set of policies can equip individuals, families and societies to address these challenges and to reap its benefits.” (United Nations Population Fund,