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POPULATION AGING IS A WORLDWIDE PROBLEM - IT HAS MANY POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES AND IT COULD GET A LOT WORSE (February 2003) A report from the United Nations Population Division released at the end of February 2002 focuses on what will be one of the major issues for the rest of this century - and beyond - the rapid aging of the population in both developed and less developed areas. Here are some of the conclusions: - Worldwide, there are currently more than 600 million people over age 60. By the year 2050, that number will increase to almost 2 billion, roughly 20 percent of the world population at that time. - by 2050, there will be more people over age 60 than there will be under age 15; that is a dramatic change. - In richer, more developed countries, by 2050, the percentage over age 60 will increase to about 30 percent; in the United States, one out of every three persons will be older than 60 years. That will have huge financial and political consequences. - By 2050, the ratio of working people to those over age 65 will be about 4 to 1; 50 years ago, it was 12 to 1. In the United States, it will be about 3 to 1. That will have major implications for Social Security taxes and retirement planning. - The trend towards an ever older population is sweeping the world - it started in developed, more affluent countries, but, by 2050, it will affect every continent, more developed and less developed areas, more affluent and less affluent individuals and populations. There are many problems facing the inhabitants of planet Earth - the aging population is not yet a major issue, but it will be - and very soon. Healthful Life is dedicated to having people live longer, healthier lives. But, what does "longer" mean? Is it an expected life span at birth of 80 years? 100 years? 120 years? Our fantastic scientific discoveries related to aging are now leading some in the scientific community (and many others) to talk of the realistic possibility of life expectancies of 140 or 180 or more years. Healthful Life believes that would not only create enormous societal and individual problems, but also profoundly worsen the predicament we are going to face anyway as a result of the aging of a population with a current worldwide life expectancy of almost 70 years. So far, there has been very little discussion or debate about where we are going and where we want to go in regard to living to very old ages. This is potentially a huge issue. For a more extended discussion, CLICK HERE for our essay: Creating very old people: Are we ready for the consequences? |
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