The number of persons aged 65 years or older worldwide expected to be double over the next three decades. The number would reach 1.6 billion in 2050. Older people will account for more than 16% of the global population.
People are living longer, and more are older than ever before. Spectacular improvements in health and survival and reductions in fertility have driven this momentous shift. This change brings both challenges and opportunities as countries strive to achieve Sustainable Development Goals. The World Social Report 2023 explores the economic
and social implications of the aging of the human population. reportsrecords.com
Over several decades, both the number and population share of older persons have risen globally, while
the number and share of children and youth have begun to shrink. By 2050, the number of persons aged 65 years or older is expected to double, surpassing 1.6 billion.
By 2050, the number of persons aged 65 years or older is expected to double, surpassing 1.6 billion.
Currently, population aging is furthest along in Europe and Northern America, Australia and New Zealand, and most of Eastern and South-Eastern Asia. Most parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania are still in the early stage of this transition. Countries in Central and Southern Asia, Western Asia and Northern Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean are at an intermediate stage.
The United Nations designated 2021-2030 as the Decade of Healthy Ageing. Its purpose is to promote strategies,
grounded in solid evidence, that supports well-being among older people.
WORLD SOCIAL REPORT 2023LEAVING NO ONE BEHIND IN AN AGEING WORLD
The long-term process of population ageing has begun, or is expected to begin soon, in all countries and areas of the world.
People in the twenty-first century have and will continue to have, a noticeably different life experience compared to earlier generations. Due to spectacular improvements in health and survival and reductions in family size and fertility, the long-term process of population aging has begun or is expected to begin soon.
KEY FACTORS
The number of people aged 65 years or older worldwide would more than double, rising from 761 million in 2021 to 1.6 billion in 2050.
The number of people aged 80 years or older is growing even faster.1 in 10 people worldwide were aged 65 or above in In the year 2021. In 2050, this age group is projected to account for 1 in 6 people globally.
The number of older people increased rapidly in all regions of the world from 1980 to 2021, a trend that is likely to continue over the next three decades.
As fertility levels fall, the share of younger people declines, while the shares of working-age adults and older people go up.
Women tend to live longer than men and thus comprise the majority of older persons, especially in advanced
ages.
OLDER POPULATIONS ARE RAPIDLY GROWING EVERYWHERE
The number of older people is growing fast, having tripled from around 260 million in 1980 to 761 million in 2021. By 2030, the number would reach over 1.6 billion in 2050.
By the end of the twenty-first century, the world could have nearly 2.5 billion older people.
