Hello everyone, everything good? Have you heard about the aging of the world's population? If you still do not have information about this risk factor for society, in this article I will show details and explain better what it is and why it is important for society around the world to take precautions for later situations.
We already know that humanity is growing at a breakneck pace, but this is not the only challenge we have to face if we are to make it through the ages to come without heavy and horrible sacrifices. To understand this statement better, just keep reading.
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Elders in world society
We all know that aging is part of the life cycle of all living beings, whether plant or animal, we will all grow old and then die. But with the facilities of society, this period of aging has become much easier to achieve than it used to be.
What I mean is that society helps people to reach much older ages than before, and at the same time it helps to happen much more often. Thus resulting in people living much longer and helping to increase the number of the world's population just by their presence.
I'm not saying they are a nuisance, after all they are the mainstays of many of the world's families and are often the most respected in it. But the problem is that at this age, usually after the age of 65, people are no longer able to make efforts, as they can harm their own health.
Effects on society
Humanity is gradually aging and this is an undeniable fact that often appears to be harmless in the eyes of uninformed people. After all, how would it affect people to age healthy and happy? Is aging a problem?
The world population is aging, and every country on the globe is experiencing a growth in the number and proportion of elderly people in their populations. This fact is about to become one of the most significant social changes of the 21st century, with effects on almost all sectors of society.
The job market, the demand for resources for the care of these people, and other sectors of the economy and society in affective terms, will all be affected. Below I will quote an interesting piece of data from World Population Prospects: the 2017 Review, a survey on the prospect of the world's population.
population data
The number of elderly people – aged 60 and over – is expected to double by 2050 and triple by 2100, from 962 million worldwide in 2017 to 2.1 billion in 2050 and 3.1 billion in 2100. Globally , the population aged 60 and over is growing faster than all younger age groups.
In 2017, it is estimated that there were 962 million people aged 60 and over in the world, representing 13 percent of the global population. This population is growing at a rate of about 3% per year. Currently, Europe has the highest percentage of the population aged 60 and over (25%).
And the entire world will experience this phenomenon, with by 2050 all regions of the world, except Africa, will have almost a quarter or more of their populations aged 60 and over. That's right, almost a quarter of the world's population will be formed by the elderly, now let's imagine the amount of money used for these people.
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Seniors contributing to society
We cannot deny the fact that society in general does not give due value to the elderly, this may be because they are more delicate and physically sensitive than young people. But this is just one point of view. And that is starting to change gradually, and countries like Japan are at the forefront of this change.
Older people are increasingly seen as contributors to development, whose abilities to act for the betterment of themselves and their societies must be integrated into policies and programs at all levels. In Japan it is common to see elderly people at advanced ages doing some types of work.
In the coming decades, many countries are likely to face fiscal and political pressures in relation to public health, pension and social protection systems for an older population. And with that, it will generate the possible initiative of “recycling” these people who are away to contribute to society.
Fertility, mortality and immigration
The size and age composition of a population is determined by a set of three demographic processes: fertility, mortality, and migration.
All regions have experienced substantial increases in life expectancy since 1950. As life expectancy at birth increases, improvements in survival at older ages account for an increasing proportion of the overall improvement in longevity, which varies from country to country.
although the fertility decline and increased longevity are the main drivers of population aging around the world, international migration has also contributed to changing population age structures in some countries and regions.
In countries experiencing large inflows of immigration, international migration can slow the aging process, at least temporarily, as migrants tend to be of a young age. However, migrants who remain in the country will eventually age into the older population.
Japan statistics
Japan is a great example when it comes to population growth and population aging. And it is he who we will analyze next, because we could not leave out the country that is the main focus of the site. But that in no way affects the judgment on it.
In 2017, this country had a population of 127.5 million people. Of these 13% is aged between 0 and 14 years old, and 14% is between 10 and 24 years old, which is not so relevant. Now the fact that 27% of the population is aged 65 and over is a little more glaring.
Which means that one out of every four people you meet in Japan is an elderly person. I particularly prefer the elderly to children and would not bother with this fact myself, but this is just my opinion and different opinions may occur.
Fertility in Japan and the World
Continuing with the data, fertility in Japan is also a risk factor as women tend to work just like men and the government is torn between supporting women to have children or helping to cover the labor shortage in the labor market. .
Policies of different types are made and proposed but the government cannot give up one to support the other, which leaves Japan in a big dilemma. For this reason, they invest heavily in monitoring and treating their mothers.
And to confirm this, according to UN data, 100% of births in the country from 2006 to 2017 were attended by qualified health personnel. Making the maternal mortality rate in 2015 stand at 5 per 100,000 live births.
But the problem is not solved by this alone. Because the rate of fertility among women in Japan is around 1.5 children per woman. As long as the population replacement rate is assured, this rate cannot be less than 2.1 children per woman.
Since the two children are the substitutes for their parents, the additional l of 0.1 has the task of compensating those individuals who, for some reason, die before reaching the age of reproduction or any other interference whatsoever.
Major conferences on aging
To begin addressing these issues, the UN General Assembly convened the first World Assembly on Aging in 1982, which resulted in a 62-point Vienna International Plan of Action.
In 1991, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons, elaborating 18 rights for older persons. The following year, the International Conference on Aging met to follow the Plan of Action, adopting a proclamation on Aging.
Following the recommendation of the Conference, the UN General Assembly declared 1999 the International Year of Older Persons. And the International Day of Older Persons is celebrated every year on the 1st of October.
Action in favor of aging continued in 2002, when the Second World Assembly on Aging was held in Madrid. Aiming to design an international policy on aging for the 21st century, it adopted a Political Declaration and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Aging.
Conclusion
This is a dilemma that the world needs to find ways to solve, as it is not a problem as long as it does not seriously affect society in some way. This case is still not worrying the authorities in the way it should because its effects are tiny and often imperceptible.
But it doesn't mean that it will remain that way for an unlimited time, and the sooner you realize this, the smaller the future effects will be. The problem is that not many are not even paying attention to it, which can be fatal over the years.
I'm doing my part, but one swallow doesn't make a summer. Well, that's all for this personal article. I hope you enjoyed the information presented and any questions, suggestions, criticisms or anything else like that, just leave your comment. Furthermore, thanks to you, my dear reader, for reading this article so far and until the next one.
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