Population over 65

In almost every country in the world the proportion of elderly people in the population is growing. In the industrial world there is an unprecedented increase in the proportion of the population aged over 65 and people are expecting to live longer than their ancestors could ever hope to.

An ageing population is an indicator of social development and it represents the success of a country’s health care policies, but it also means that there are fewer people of working age to support and care for the well-being of a growing number of dependant elderly people.