World population aging 1950-2050

As the promotion of the world's population in the older ages continues to increase, the need for improved information and analysis of demographic aging increases. Knowledge is essential to assist policy makers define, formulate and evaluate goals and programmes, and to raise public awareness and support for needed policy changes. The Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations has long experience in the analysis of population aging. In addition to preparing national estimates and projections of older populations, the Population Division has contributed tot he analysis of the determinants and consequences of population aging. The Population Division is the organizational unit of the Secretariat charged with monitoring progress towards the achievement of the goals set out in the Programmed of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in 1994. The Programme of Action enunciated objectives and recommended actions concerning population aging and older persons (United Nations, 1995). The Population Division has also organized expert meetings on various aspects of population aging. In 1997, for example, the Division convened a meeting on below-replacement fertility (United Nations, 2000);in 2000, two meetings on population aging were organized: the first on the living arrangements of older persons (United Nations, 2001b), and the second on policy responses to population aging and population decline (United Nations, forthcoming). In 1999, the Population Division issued the first United Nations wall chart on population aging as a contribution to the International Year of Older Persons (United Nations , 1999c). In 1982, the United Nations adopted the International Plan of Action on Aging at the first World Assembly on Aging (United Nations, 1982). Then in 1999 in its resolution 54/62, the General Assembly decided to convene the Second World Assembly on Aging in 2002. The Second World Assembly is to be decided to the overall review of the outcome of the First World Assembly, and to the adoption of a new international strategy for action on aging. The present report was prepared by the Population Division as a contribution to the 2002 World Assembly on Aging and its follow-up. The report provides a description of global trends in population aging and includes a series of indicators of the aging process by development regions, major areas, regions and countries. Acknowledgement is due to the United States Nations Institute on Aging and United States Bureau of the Census, which provided partial financial support for this publication. Comments and suggestions on this report are welcome and may be addressed to Mr. Joseph Chamie, Director, Population, Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations Secretariat, New York, N.Y. 10017, fax number (212)963-2147.