October 2023

Indonesia. Minister instructs to form joint secretariat for serving elderly

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy instructed the related deputy to form a joint secretariat to support services for the elderly. "I ask the related deputy to make a joint secretariat in this office to provide all elderly services," he stated in a seminar held at the ministry's office in commemorating International Day for Older Persons here on Friday. Muhadjir underscored the need for a representative joint secretariat to support the government's preparations for facing the aging population. He...

The silver lining in India’s imminent ageing problem

India’s youthful population is often described as a key strength of the economy. India is among the youngest emerging market nations, and will remain so in the near future—a demographic dividend that makes it an attractive investment destination. According to the United Nations, a country is considered to be “ageing" if the share of the population over the age of 65 is more than 7%, “aged" when the share exceeds 14%, and “super-aged" when it crosses 20%. India will...

To counter its aging population, Vermont offers $5,000 for recent graduates to stay on

Vermont has joined the growing list of states hoping to retain young people by paying their student loans. The program, launched this year, will give recent graduates of Vermont colleges up to $5,000 if they stay and work in the state for two years. Lawmakers hope the initiative will keep more young people in Vermont. From The Hechinger Report in Vermont Public, Liam Elder-Connors reports. LIAM ELDER-CONNORS, BYLINE: A couple of months ago, Mohamud Diini was ready to leave Vermont....

As the U.S. birth rate falls, immigration reform may be ‘the answer hiding in plain sight,’ analyst says

As the U.S. fertility rate continues to fall, there are growing concerns about the long-term economic impact: A smaller population means less tax revenue, which could reduce funding for programs such as Social Security and Medicare. But immigration policy reform could be one solution, some experts say. The U.S. birth rate fell slightly in 2022 compared with 2021, with roughly 3.7 million babies born nationwide, and the birth rate still hasn’t recovered to pre-pandemic levels, according to an initial analysis from the Centers for Disease Control...

Large parts of Asia are getting old before they get rich

A bulge in a country’s working-age population is a blessing. Lots of workers support relatively few children and retired people. So long as the labour market can absorb a surge of job-seekers, output per head will rise. That can boost savings and investment, leading to higher economic growth, more productivity gains and developmental lift-off. Yet for countries that fail to seize this opportunity, the results can be grim—as many developing countries may soon discover. Consider Thailand. It is rapidly greying....

Don’t worry about global population collapse

The world’s massive human population is leveling off. Most projections show we’ll hit peak humanity in the 21st century, as people choose to have smaller families and women gain power over their own reproduction. This is great news for the future of our species. And yet alarms are sounding. While environmentalists have long warned of a planet with too many people, now some economists are warning of a future with too few. For example, economist Dean Spears from the University of...

By 2024, the 65-and-over age group will outnumber the youth group: new WHO report on healthy ageing

By 2024, it is estimated that the population of individuals aged over 65 years will outnumber those under the age of 15 in the WHO European Region. This trend means new social, economic and health challenges, which demand a focus on healthy ageing to mitigate the impact of an ageing population. WHO's report “Promoting physical activity and healthy diets for healthy ageing in the WHO European Region” navigates this shift, providing a roadmap for healthy longevity. Diets and physical activity...

Japan government pension acts on population strain

Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund — one of the world’s most powerful investors — is overhauling the way it chooses active managers, in a bid to secure the higher returns needed to support a rapidly ageing population. As its sheer size makes it harder to achieve above average performance, the world’s largest pension fund is leaning increasingly on data science to find those managers who can beat the market. “If asset owners can develop a scientific method for selecting active...

Iran’s Health Ministry Warns of Ageing Population

Iran's Deputy Health Minister Hossein Farshidi issued a warning about the country's ageing population, claiming it will double within the next 20 years. Speaking on World Elderly Day Farshidi said the demographic change is happening much faster than in many developed countries, where it took over a century to see such a rise in the elderly population. He attributed the trend to global increases in life expectancy and significant reductions in fertility rates during the 20th century. He stressed that Iran has experienced similar...

September 2023

Lessons From Japan And Italy On Managing The Aging Population

Japan and Italy are geographically distant and have evolved separately over the centuries, but they share several similar traits, including a rich culinary tradition, strong cultural values, breathtaking historical sites — and, more recently, an ageing population. More than one in 10 people in Japan are aged 80 or older. Beyond that, about 29 per cent of its 125 million people are 65 or older, the highest in the world ahead of Italy (24.5 per cent) and Finland (23.6 per...