The net result of these economic and demographic shifts is that a growing share of national income is now being directed to provide health, pensions, and other forms of basic support, while a declining percentage of citizens in nearly every society is now working to support a growing number of fellow citizens. This rising dependency ratio is made worse by widening economic inequality; as more wealth is concentrated in fewer hands, the promise of ever-improving standards of living for most people may not be fulfilled.
这些经济和人口变迁的净结果是，国民收入中越来越多的部分被用于提供卫生、养老和其他形式的基本支持；几乎在所有国家，勉力工作供养数量与日俱增的同胞的公民比例正在下降。赡养比的上升之势因经济不平等性的加剧而恶化；由于更多的财富集中在更少的人手中，因此大多数人生活水平持续改善的承诺可能将无法实现。