11 Countries With Highest Aging Population

These 11 countries with highest aging population are facing a pile of problems – from the risk of total depopulation across shortage of labor force to increasing aging-related expenditure. According to United Nations, by the year of 2050, the number of older people will exceed the number of young for the first time in history bringing the whole spectrum of problems. Some nations simply won’t survive increasing trend of depopulation, and it is very likely that demographic map of the world will change in the near future. Nations that get through negative population growth will have to deal with the lack of working force and greater expenditures for pensions and health care for older citizens which will, in turn, slow down or reverse economic growth. Finally, growing trend of aging population affects consumer spending as older citizens spend less than young ones.

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To tackle the problem of aging population, governments are trying to implement different measures – from extending the retirement age to reducing years of study so young people can enter job market earlier. Moreover, countries are offering stimulations and benefits for families who decide to have more children hoping that such policies would, at least, slow down depopulation trend. However, all these measures seem to have little effect as life expectancy is extending and fertility rates are decreasing even in these 11 countries with highest female population.

Advancements in medicine, use of new technologies and treatments have extended the life expectancy. Since the beginning of the last century average lifespan has more than doubled, and today it is almost 71 years. Moreover, incurable or chronic illnesses aren’t anymore equivalent to a death sentence. For instance, when HIV was first detected, infected person lived approximately 12 years from the moment of infection, while now some groups of HIV patients have the same or longer life expectancy than healthy people. Finally, although relative low fertility rate has been characteristic of developed countries, today less developed nation are following the same trend. Only sixty years ago women from underdeveloped countries had six children on average while in 2005 they had two children.

We created the list 11 countries with highest aging population using as a source CIA The World Factbook 2013-14. We listed the oldest countries using as criteria median age, and here is the final ranking.  Additionally, we used European Commission Aging Report to provide data on aging-related expenditures by EU member states.