Making the most of an ageing world (summary) The age-old
yearning for a long life is a reality for growing numbers of men
and women around the world. Yet our great good fortune to be the
beneficiaries of a long life expectancy is taken for granted. It
is even viewed as a looming crisis that could break the bank of
government finances. Is increased life expectancy a
demographer's dream or an economist's nightmare? This paper
examines the challenges and opportunities posed by global
population ageing. Although it relies heavily on examples from
the United States, where appropriate or available, data from
other countries, especially in more developed regions of the
world, are highlighted. At the end of the paper, a variety of
strategies that can help societies adjust to population ageing
are suggested. These strategies apply to ageing societies of
varying levels of development. While population ageing has
raised concerns about its effects on the rate of economic
growth, there are many advantages of slowing popul