Factbox: Ageing Europe could benefit from refugees and migrants – U.N.
Refugees and migrants could help Europe support its ageing population and ease the heavy burden on health and social care systems, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
An ageing population is the result of increased life expectancy and lower fertility rates, and puts pressure on stretched healthcare systems, pensions and social care.
One in four Europeans is aged 60 or older, with the number set to increase, at a time when mistrust of immigrants runs high in many European countries.
The 2017 revision of “World Population Prospects” – a report by the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division – said that by 2050, more than a third of Europe’s population was predicted to be aged 60 or older.
Below are some key facts from the U.N. report.
Globally, the number of people aged 60 or more is predicted to more than triple by 2100, rising to 3.1 billion from 962 million.
The percentage of the population aged 60 or more in Africa, the world’s youngest continent, is expected to rise to nearly 20 percent in 2100 from 5 percent in 2017.
Globally, life expectancy has risen to 69 years for men and 73 years for women, from 65 years for men and 69 years for women, between 2000 and 2005.
Full Content: Reuters
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