The Effects of the Ageing Population on the British Welfare State

The world population of 7.2 billion in mid-2013 is projected to increase by almost one billion people within the next twelve years. It is projected to reach 8.1 billion in 2025, and to further increase to 9.6 billion in 2050 and 10.9 billion by 2100. This assumes a decline of fertility for countries where large families are still prevalent as well as a slight increase of fertility in several countries with fewer than two children per woman on average.

While there are plenty of infants being born every single day, do you ever wonder how the world will continue to sustain the growing population? The population of the world is continuing to grow at a dangerously, increasing rate. There are already at least 6.5 billion people on Earth. According to, Overpopulation ‘is main threat to planet’,

In 1901 just 4.0% of the Australian population were older people and after two decades this has increased to 6.4%. In 2011 the aged population continued to increase and reached 14%. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (Abs.gov.au, 2012) indicates that since the baby boomers are now becoming old, there has been a decrease in fertility rates and an increase in life expectancy. The population of people over 65 years has continued to increase and it is predicted that it will continue to increase for the next 50 years. As people become older they are more susceptible to becoming sick and in need of government benefits. Since there is a major

This effect may last for generations past the baby boomers, as social security benefits rely on taxes, and the large amount of baby boomers have more ability than anyone to deplete these resources for future generations. Improvements in medicine will surely increase how long the average person lives, and it will take an increasing amount of money to anticipate these changes. At the same time, the older a person lives, the more risk they are to needing assistance from other publicly funded services such as caretakers, and also to provide them with the medicine they need to get by.

The aging of the baby boomers is not just a demographic issue. It has important economic implications. Owen and Griffiths (2010) argue that the baby boomers can best be seen as a generational bulge that occurred between 1946 and 1964. This generational bulge is so large that it drives the economy during each state of the baby boomers lives (p. 76). This suggests that the aging of the baby boomers is a demographic issue with important economic implications.

Consider that Earth’s population is projected to rise to 10 billion by the year 2050. The current

Back in twentieth century, a tiny fragment of mere 5% population was comprised of people aged 65 and above. A little spike in this segment was observed during the period of 1950s-1960s; however, that spike was not significant and restricted to 8% of entire population (Chart 1.1). Many factors were responsible for the small proportion of senior population, the most prominent one though, low life expectancy, high fertility/birth rates and limitation of health services.

After the end of World War 2, birth rates across the nation spiked. More babies were born in 1946 than ever before with a grand number of 3.4 million! This was the beginning of the so-called “baby boom.” In 1947, another 3.8 million babies were born, 3.9 million were born in 1952,and more than 4 million were born every year from 1954. In 1964, the boom finally tapered off. By then, there were 76.4 million “baby boomers” in the United States (Staff). This made up close to forty percent of the nations population!

A report published by the Orgainsation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) identifies lifespan as key societal wellness barometer. [1] The group is a forum created to improve financial, physical and mental wellbeing for all global citizens. [2] Through the organization, governments collaborate to improve the human condition. Using data gathered from various global sources, the group members make recommendations designed to improve humanity’s welfare. The research scope varies from high-level census data to detailed worldwide tax rates. Among these data, the organization recognizes remarkable improvements in human life expectancy over the last half century, which is now 80-years long. [1]

The search for information on a vast generation known as “baby boomers,” was quick and easy. The History Channel, once again provided attractive information such as text and audio clips. Nine months following the end of World War II, a new type of generation kicked off. Prior to this generation the population increased linearly, but now it was growing at an exponential rate. This large generation was praised for preventing recessions but may possibly cause problems in social welfare in the future.

Now the addition of aging population, fertility rates and economic growth is causing the population to not only decrease but also increase in elderly. By 2050 more than 25% of France’s population will be elderly of 65+ (1). Health care for the elderly is evolving

Population aging is present in every country both developed and developing country; people are living longer than their previous generations. “In 2012, the United States had the largest number of people in the oldest-old age category among developed countries” (Ortman et al). Much of this aging is due to the United States is facing the effect of the retirement of the baby boomers. This generation has been completely active in the businesses and the economic growth. However, the development of science and technology will help the balance of the impact of changing demographics.

The UK has a high life expectancy rate, but that does not mean the population does not suffer from diseases. When looking at the burden of disease it is important to look at the morbidity, mortality, and number of years disabled. Figure 1 shows that the mortality rate is high at the beginning and end of life which is to be expected (Health Data, 2010). The main burden of disease seems to come from Alzheimer’s disease, sense organ diseases, and ischemic heart disease. These three diseases alone are accountable for almost 50% of deaths and causes of disability in the UK (Institute of Health and Metrics Evaluation, 2017). The burden of disease data also accounts total spending on each person per year. They found that every year approximately $4285 was spent on each person from the NHS (Sussex, 2001). If that number is multiplied by the population size of 65 million, that will be a quite a large sum of money (Institute of Health and Metrics Evaluation,

From 1970 to the year 2000, the world's over-60 population is projected to increase by more than 90 percent" . This is an astonishing number, seeming how the total population was predicted to grow by less than 75 percent . "The most prominent feature of the looming shift in the composition of the working-age population is, of course, its increasing age" . It is hard to say what will happen when suddenly there will be an abundance of older people who are preparing to retire.

The world’s population is ageing rapidly. Between 2000 and 2050, the proportion of the world's older adults is estimated to double from about 11% to 22%. In absolute terms, this is an expected increase from 605 million to 2 billion people over the age of 60.