UN Report Says the World Is Not Ready for Global Aging

The world is aging so fast that most countries are not prepared to
support their swelling numbers of elderly people, according to a global study
issued by the United Nations and an elder rights group. The report ranks the
social and economic well-being of elders in 91 countries, with Sweden coming
out on top and Afghanistan at the bottom. It reflects what advocates for the
old have been warning, with increasing urgency, for years: Nations are simply
not working quickly enough to cope with a population graying faster than ever
before. By the year 2050, for the first time in history, seniors older than 60
will outnumber children younger than 15. The Global AgeWatch Index (www.globalagewatch.org) was created by
elder advocacy group HelpAge International and the U.N. Population Fund in part
to address a lack of international data on the extent and impact of global
aging. The index, released on the U.N.’s International Day of Older Persons,
compiles data from the U.N., World Health Organization, World Bank, and other
global agencies, and analyzes income, health, education, employment and
age-friendly environment in each country. The index was welcomed by elder
rights advocates, who have long complained that a lack of data has thwarted
their attempts to raise the issue on government agendas.

Source/more: Washington Post