DATA WATCH Population Aging In Developing Countries

Issues related to population aging—Social Security and pension reform, health care financing and provision, and long-term care—have long been the subject of public debate in the industrialized countries of Europe and North America. Economically less developed regions have been slower to adopt aging as a major public policy concern, despite the fact that older populations in many developing countries are growing more rapidly than are those of industrialized nations. Awareness of issues concerning older populations remains low in many nations, even as the absolute numbers of elderly persons double and even triple. This DataWatch considers trends in the basic demography of aging and mortality/health considerations for developing countries. The populat ions of many regions are rapidly growing older. The process of population aging is a major success story, which began unfolding only at the end of the twentieth century. Demographers define population aging as an increasing median age of a population or an alteration in the age structure of a population, so that elderly persons are increasingly represented within a country’s overall age structure. The economic and social consequences of aging are considerable, particularly with regard to the increasing burden of dependency. These consequences in the industrialized nations of Europe and North America have been well publicized. However, less is known about the effects in less well developed regions. Older populations in many developing countries are growing more rapidly than are those of industrialized nations. Awareness of issues concerning older populations remains low in many nations, even as the absolute numbers of the aged double and triple. In this DataWatch I discuss demographic projections of population aging throughout the world. These projections suggest that developing countries are aging much faster than industrialized countries did, as a result of rapid declines in fertility and broad diffusion of medical knowledge. These countries will be faced with “old” demo© 2000 Project HOPE–The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc. Laura Shrestha is an operations officer for health in the Europe and Central Asia, Human Development Department at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. 204 POPULATION