Europe has largest aging population in world

By Nuri Aydin

ANKARA (AA) - Europe has the largest aging population in the world.

The increase in average life expectancy thanks to medical advancement and an improvement in living standards has led to a decline in death rates globally.

This coupled with falling birth rates has led to a rise in an aging population.

If elderly people make up more than 10% of the total population, it is considered a sign of an aging population.

Approximately 1 billion of the world's population is 60 years and above and the aging of the population affects social security systems and economies of the countries the most.

The world population, which has increased rapidly in the last decades, was 6 billion in 1999, reached 7 billion in 2011, and this year the world population exceeded 7.9 billion, according to UN data.

A total of 59.33% of the world's population is located in Asia, 17.51% ​​in Africa, 9.77% in Europe, 8.37% in South America, 4.73% in North America and 0.56% in Oceania.

According to Statista's 2021 data, Europe is leading in the proportion of the elderly population with 19%, followed by North America with 17%, Oceania with 13%, and Asia and South America with 9% each.

Africa, which has the lowest average life expectancy, also has the lowest rate of the elderly population with only 4%.

Meanwhile, Germany is the country that contributed the most to the elderly population of Europe with 17.78 million, followed by Italy with 13.76 million, France with 13.16 million, and the UK with 12.24 million.

According to the UN, life expectancy increased from 46 to 68 years between 1950 and 2010, and this rate rose to 73.2 in 2020.

In 2021, 26% of the world's population was 15 years old and below, and 10% was 65 years old and above, according to Statista.

- Largest number of elderly people live in China

China has the largest elderly population in the world with 166 million, which corresponds to 11.9% of the country's population.

This is followed by India with 84.9 million, the US with 52.76 million, and Japan with 35.58 million.

Japan has the highest average life expectancy with 85 years, followed by Switzerland with 84.25 years, Singapore with 84.07, and Italy with 84.01 years.

The Central African Republic has the lowest average life expectancy with 54.36 years.

One in eight people in the world is aged 60 or above and this figure will steadily increase, according to the UN.

It is expected that the number of people over the age of 65 will reach 1.5 billion in 2050 and the elderly population will make up 22% of the world's total population.

- Elderly population in Turkiye increases by 24% in 5 years

The elderly population in Turkiye was over 6.6 million in 2016. This figure increased by 24% over the last five years and reached 8.2 million in 2021.

Additionally, the rate of children and young people in the total population of Turkiye is in decline.

It is predicted that the rate of the elderly population will be 11% by 2025, 12.9% by 2030, 16.3% by 2040, 22.6% by 2060, and 25.6% by 2080 in Turkiye.