The elderly population in the world is expected to double in 2050, according to a UN report, the World Population Prospect. The UN General Assembly on Dec. 14, 1990 declared Oct. 1 as the International Day of Older Persons.
The number of people aged 60 and over, which was 1 billion in 2019, is expected to rise by 34% reaching 1.4 billion by 2030.
80 PERCENT OF GLOBAL ELDERLY POPULATION WILL BE IN UNDERDEVELOPED COUNTRIES
The UN also named 2020-2030 as the “Decade of Healthy Aging”, and aims to bring together experts, civil society, government and healthcare professionals to discuss the strategic objectives of the Aging and Health Global Strategy and Action plan, to overcome possible challenges to achieve its goals.
As of 2019, there are 703 million people aged 65 and over in the world. East and Southeast Asia has the largest elderly population with 261 million, followed by Europe and North America with 200 million.
Over the next 30 years, the number of older persons worldwide will more than double, and more than 1.5 billion people will be over 65 years old in 2050, according to the UN.
It is predicted that there will be a significant rise in the older population between 2019 and 2050 in all regions. The largest rise is expected in East and Southeast Asia with 312 million, growing from 261 million in 2019 to 573 million in 2050.
Studies show that South Korea, Singapore, China, Taiwan, the Maldives, and Thailand stand out among the countries with the highest proportion of the elderly aged 65 and over by 2050. Around 80% of the global elderly population will be in underdeveloped countries by 2050, according to the estimates.
By 2050, it is estimated that the number of people over 60 will be slightly more than twice the number of children under 5 years old, and more than adolescents and young people aged 15-24.