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Aging

The world crossed an important threshold in 2018, when the number of older people (over sixty-four years old) surpassed the number of young children (under the age of five) for the first time ever. This section explores the shifting demographics from young to increasingly older populations worldwide and their social, economic, and health consequences.

Aging

In 2018

People over age 65 outnumbered people under age 5

People over age 65 outnumbered people under age 5 People over age 65 outnumbered people under age 5

2039

Working age pop—25-64 yr—to peak in Latin America

Working age pop—25-64 yr—to peak in Latin America Working age pop—25-64 yr—to peak in Latin America

62%

Population under age 25 in sub-Saharan Africa

Population under age 25 in sub-Saharan Africa Population under age 25 in sub-Saharan Africa

35%

Decrease in women aged 20-40 in China by 2050

Decrease in women aged 20-40 in China by 2050 Decrease in women aged 20-40 in China by 2050

Featured

Aging
You wouldn’t know it from this image of hustle-bustle on the streets of the Mong Kok district in Hong Kong on Oct. 4, 2011, but the workforce in many Asian economic powerhouses is steadily shrinking. Picture shows the street from above, a wide pedestrian walkway with broad yellow lines painted at an angle. Dozens of people can be seen in the frame, all blurred due to fast movement and a slow shutter. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

Lessons From an Aging Asia
by Erin Gallagher, Sheila A. Smith - February 25, 2020

How will demographic shifts affect workforce, health care, gender equality, disaster response, and societal well-being?

Aging
Women sit as they prepare for screenings during the breast cancer prevention campaign in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on October 12, 2019. Image shows a row of several women wearing colorful clothes. REUTERS/Luc Gnago

The Growing Cancer Threat in Africa

by Thomas J. Bollyky

Cancer mortality is increasing in sub-Saharan Africa, where the needed health care infrastructure is still lacking

Aging
An elderly demonstrator poses for the camera as he makes a V-sign during ongoing anti-government protests, in Baghdad, Iraq, December 10, 2019. He has a black-and-white checkered scarf tied on his head and a red and white sash with green accents, around his neck. He has a very long white beard and friendly eyes. REUTERS/Alaa al-MarjaniSELECT

Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number—Except When it Comes to Health

by Matt Doxey

In some parts of the world, forty is the new seventy

Latest

Percent of State Populations at Medium Risk for Pneumonia. Map shows percentage of Adults, 20–64 years old, with at least one chronic condition or who are current smokers
Aging

High-Risk Populations for Severe COVID-19 Infections in the United States

by Christopher Troeger

About one quarter of the U.S. adult population could be considered high risk for severe COVID-19 infections

Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville give outstanding performances in the new film ORDINARY LOVE, from Bleecker Street, and they are helped by a powerful, semi-autobiographical script by Owen McCafferty. Image is of the two actors sitting together and smiling in a hospital waiting room. Credit: Aidan Monaghan/Bleecker Street
Aging

“Ordinary Love” and Extraordinary Compassion

by Jason Socrates Bardi, Caroline Kantis

New film starring Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville depicts the gloomy, gray uncertainty of modern breast cancer treatment

You wouldn’t know it from this image of hustle-bustle on the streets of the Mong Kok district in Hong Kong on Oct. 4, 2011, but the workforce in many Asian economic powerhouses is steadily shrinking. Picture shows the street from above, a wide pedestrian walkway with broad yellow lines painted at an angle. Dozens of people can be seen in the frame, all blurred due to fast movement and a slow shutter. REUTERS/Bobby Yip
Aging

Lessons From an Aging Asia

by Erin Gallagher, Sheila A. Smith

How will demographic shifts affect workforce, health care, gender equality, disaster response, and societal well-being?