Aging Population

Definitions

Fertility Rate: The average number of births per woman.

Life Expectancy: The average number of years that an individual is expected to live.

Healthy Life Expectancy: The average number of years that an individual is expected to live in good or very good health.

Dependant Population: The part of the population who rely on the working population for support (people who aren’t working).

Causes of an Aging Population

Currently there are:

  • 15.5 million 60+ year olds (23% of the population).

  • 3.2 million 80+ year olds (5% of the population).

  • This is expected to increase to 22.5 million over 60s by 2050

The aging population is caused by two main factors:

  • Increased life expectancy: As science, diagnostic equipment and interventions improve, so does life expectancy.

  • Demographic aging: The rapid increase in fertility rate after the war led to a baby boom. These individuals now constitute the majority of the elderly.

However, the fertility rate is now decreasing and the global population is expected to peak in 2080 (10.4bn) and slowly decline after.

Life Expectancy and Healthy Life Expectancy

The aging population has increased pressures on the NHS and care services as:

  • 75% of over 75 year olds have multiple chronic illnesses.

  • 17% of over 80 year olds have dementia.

  • 70% of care home residents have dementia.

  • Threshold for social care in the elderly has decreased by 12%, therefore, delaying their access to care. This can lead to more falls, breakages and delayed diagnosis. This will eventually cost the NHS more money.

There are two ways of measuring life expectancy:

  • Healthy Life Expectancy: 63 in men, 64 in women (in the UK).

  • Life expectancy: 79 in men, 83 in women (in the UK).

Scientists are now focusing on increasing the healthy life expectancy and improving the lives of people with comorbidities, rather than prolonging life. The government are campaigning to increase the healthy life expectancy by 5 years by 2035. This is mainly achieved through public health campaigns and in doing so, it will decrease the dependant population, boosting the economy.