There are more people over 65 in the world today than at any other time in human history. Life expectancy has increased markedly, and it is less common to have children in many countries of the world. For the first time, according to the United Nations, we see a situation in which there are more elderly people on the planet than children. In 2019, 705 million people on the planet are elderly, and there are about 680 million children aged 0 to 4 years. How will this affect our future?
Increasing life expectancy is a success story for our species, but increasing numbers of older people pose a number of pressing socio-economic problems.
The planet's population will continue to age as the two groups grow in opposite directions. By 2050, the proportion of the population aged 65 and over will increase by almost 16 percent, more than double the number of children under five.
Lack of "newcomers"
Demographers who have been tracking these trends for several decades have come to the conclusion that the reasons lie in the increase in life expectancy and the decline in fertility.
But how will an aging population affect you and me specifically?
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As you know, in 1960 there were about five children per woman. Today, almost 60 years later, there is an average of 2.5 children per woman.
And if in 1960 people lived on average a little more than 52 years, then, for example, in 2017 the average life expectancy reached 72 years. This means that people will need more resources as they get older, and this, in turn, will increase pressure on health and pension systems.
What to do about it?
Some developing countries are taking note of the approach of countries like Japan and Italy, using policies to curb fertility. China and India introduced family planning initiatives in the 1970s, as a result of which China's population is aging faster today.
However, declining fertility can also have positive consequences. When fertility rates are declining and populations are not old enough, governments can spend more on secondary and tertiary education and stimulate the economy. How Thailand and South Korea did it.
However, population experts warn that quality of health care will play a decisive role in the quality of life of older people.
Lyubov Sokovikova