| Abstract: | The world's elderly population, 60 years and older, reached 251.6 million by 1950, 488 million by 1990 and, according to United Nations projection estimates, it will reach 1205.3 million in 2025. These figures mean an increase of 144% between 1950 and 1990 and of 146% between 1990 and 2025. Asia accounted for the highest number of elderly persons: 49.2%, in 1990, Europe reported 19%, Africa 6.3%, and Latin America 6.5%. On the other hand, over the next 35 years, the European region figure will decrease to 12%, while other regions will show increased percentages: 58% for Asia and around 8% for Africa and Latin America. Fertility and mortality decreases in developing countries will result in the elderly population constituting 12% of the total population in the year 2025. In this same year, Latin America will have the same high proportion of elderly persons as the world will have in the year 2020. On the other hand, some of the developed regions, such as Northern America and Europe, will reach figures around 27%. Below the average value for these regions in the year 2025 will be the former Soviet Union with 20% and Oceania with 19.2%. Another way to confirm population aging is by computing the median age of a population. Thus, while in 1950 the world median age was 23.4 years, it increased up to 24.2 years in 1990, and is estimated to be 31.1 years by the year 2025. Developed regions show higher population aging than the less developed ones. In fact, in 1990, developed countries had a median age of 33.7 years and developing countries had a median age of 22 years. While the median age will be 40.7 years for developed countries in the year 2025, it will only be 29.7 years for less developed countries. Nevertheless, this relatively high median age indicates that the aging process has already started in less developed countries. |
