Population aging

Many countries around the world are facing the problem of population aging today. The number of people over 65 years of age is growing rapidly in various countries, and this will pose a major challenge to social and economic development in the coming decades. In Russia, about 30% of the population are people of retirement age, which is more than 40 million people. And their number is constantly increasing, which leads to socio-economic consequences and requires new solutions.

On the one hand, demographers consider aging to be one of the inevitable facets of the processes of demographic transition and consider it part of the changes that accompany the process of economic growth and the general development of civilization. On the other hand, socio-economic transformations also affect the aging process. Thus, the emergence and development of medical care and social protection systems gradually makes it possible to solve the economic problems associated with old age. As a result, the proportion of elderly people may decrease while overall life expectancy remains the same or increases.

There are certain reasons for the aging population. First, economic growth and increased well-being lead to an increase in average life expectancy, which in turn means a later onset of childbearing and a lengthening of the overall period of life and aging, since life expectancy increases before the onset of this period. As people get older, their ability to work can be negatively affected. In addition, changes in technology can affect working conditions and the ability to function at work.

An interesting example is Estonia, where average life expectancy has increased by as much as seven years over the past quarter century, and the birth rate has also decreased by the same amount. Changes in the structure of employment can be illustrated by the example of Lithuanian cities, which have seen a transformation of labor-intensive sectors into services and entrepreneurship. Reducing energy and labor costs in production and achieving higher productivity in industry led to an increase in living standards. It is not surprising that the age structure of the Lithuanian population has changed greatly. The number of young people has decreased and the number of elderly people has increased compared to Estonia. The same applies to other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. If, under the influence of economic and social changes, the age structure of society changes in the direction of “older people”, consequently, the working youth is also declining. And if this happens, then the structure of the economy as a whole changes. This is happening all over the world.

An aging society and declining fertility will lead to an aging population in both the private and public sectors. Therefore, it is important to develop strategies to support older citizens and extend their healthy lives. The most promising areas of social protection related to this problem are improving living conditions, creating an environment conducive to an active lifestyle, preventive measures, supporting families providing social assistance, providing access to education and cultural events, providing opportunities to participate in public projects, etc. Research carried out by European and other organizations shows that it is possible to successfully address the challenges of preparing older people for future aging, for example: (1) providing opportunities for education in self-care skills; 2) expand work on choosing a profession to increase mobility; (3) develop ways of solving problems that help reduce stress; (4) promote the creation of an open education and employment system that enhances the self-identity of the elderly.

So aging

Population aging is the process of a gradual increase in the proportion of people of older age groups in the population structure, which is due to a natural decrease in the birth rate and an increase in average life expectancy. It is one of the main modern demographic trends that is observed in all countries of the world.

The economic and social consequences of population aging can be positive or negative. On the one hand, an increase in the proportion of older people and a change in the age structure of the population can lead to an increase in demand for various social services, an improvement in the health care system, a more rational use of resources and increased