Senior Citizen Population on Brink of Explosion in
World and in United States: Census Bureau
U.S. seniors may increase by 40% in five years,
world senior age group to triple by 2050
June 24, 2009 – The U.S. Census Bureau has released
data over several recent days that highlight to staggering boom in the
senior citizen population in the world and nation. In the U.S., the
senior citizen population appears to be headed to a 40 percent increase
in the next five years. The world’s 65-and-older population is projected
to triple by midcentury, from 516 million in 2009 to 1.53 billion in
2050.
In contrast, the world population under 15 is
expected to increase by only 6 percent during the same period, from 1.83
billion to 1.93 billion.
In the U.S., the population 65 and older will more
than double by 2050, rising from 39 million today to 89 million. While
children are projected to still outnumber the older population worldwide
in 2050, the under 15 population in the United States is expected to
fall below the older population by that date, increasing from 62 million
today to 85 million.
These figures come from the world population
estimates and projections released today through the Census Bureau’s
International Data Base. This latest update includes projections by age,
including people 100 and older, for 227 countries and areas.
Less than 8 percent of the world’s population is 65
and older. By 2030, the world’s population 65 and older is expected to
reach 12 percent, and by 2050, that share is expected to grow to 16
percent.
“This shift in the age structure of the world’s
population poses challenges to society, families, businesses, health
care providers and policymakers to meet the needs of aging individuals,”
said Wan He, demographer in the Census Bureau’s Population Division.
From 2009 to 2050, the world’s 85 and older
population is projected to increase more than fivefold, from 40 million
to 219 million. Because women generally live longer than men, they
account for slightly more than half of the older population and
represent nearly two-thirds of the 85 and older population.
Europe likely will continue to be the oldest region
in the world: by 2050, 29 percent of its total population is projected
to be 65 and older. On the other hand, sub-Saharan Africa is expected to
remain the youngest region as a result of relatively higher fertility
and, in some nations, the impact of HIV/AIDS. Only 5 percent of Africa’s
population is projected to be 65 and older in 2050.
Countries experiencing relatively rapid declines in
fertility combined with longer life spans will face increasingly older
populations. These countries will see the highest growth rates in their
older populations over the next 40 years.
There are four countries with 20 percent or more of
their population 65 and older: Germany, Italy, Japan and Monaco. By
2030, 55 countries are expected to have at least one-in-five of their
total population in this age category; by 2050, the number of countries
could rise to more than 100.
Although China and India are the world’s most
populous countries, their older populations do not represent large
percentages of their total populations today. However, these countries
do have the largest number of older people — 109 million and 62 million,
respectively. Both countries are projected to undergo more rapid aging,
and by 2050, will have about 350 million and 240 million people 65 and
older, respectively.
The
International Data Base offers a variety of demographic indicators
for countries and areas of the world with populations of 5,000 or more.
It provides information on population size and growth, age and sex
composition, mortality, fertility and net migration.
U.S. Baby Boomers Lined Up at the Door to Jump
into Senior Ranks
The senior citizen - age 65 and older - population
in the US was 36,789,000 in 2008, just 12.3% of the nation’s population.
But, flooding into the senior ranks are 14.931 million baby boomers age
60 through 64. This narrow age bracket is 5% of the total US population.
Assuming we all live another five years, they will increase the senior
ranks by 40%. The senior citizen population will jump from 36.8 million
to 51.7 million.
|
U.S.
Population by Age and Sex: 2008 |
|
(Numbers in
thousands. Civilian noninstitutionalized population1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Age |
Both sexes |
Male |
Female |
|
Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
|
All ages |
299,106 |
100.0 |
146,855 |
100.0 |
152,250 |
100.0 |
|
.Under 55 years |
229,014 |
76.6 |
115,014 |
78.3 |
113,999 |
74.9 |
|
.55 to 59 years |
18,371 |
6.1 |
8,929 |
6.1 |
9,442 |
6.2 |
|
.60 to 64 years |
14,931 |
5.0 |
7,150 |
4.9 |
7,781 |
5.1 |
|
.65 to 69 years |
11,165 |
3.7 |
5,238 |
3.6 |
5,928 |
3.9 |
|
.70 to 74 years |
8,423 |
2.8 |
3,740 |
2.5 |
4,683 |
3.1 |
|
.75 to 79 years |
7,353 |
2.5 |
3,200 |
2.2 |
4,154 |
2.7 |
|
.80 to 84 years |
5,559 |
1.9 |
2,106 |
1.4 |
3,453 |
2.3 |
|
.85 years and over |
4,289 |
1.4 |
1,479 |
1.0 |
2,810 |
1.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.Under 55 years |
229,014 |
76.6 |
115,014 |
78.3 |
113,999 |
74.9 |
|
.55 years and over |
70,092 |
23.4 |
31,841 |
21.7 |
38,251 |
25.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.Under 60 years |
247,385 |
82.7 |
123,943 |
84.4 |
123,441 |
81.1 |
|
.60 years and over |
51,721 |
17.3 |
22,912 |
15.6 |
28,809 |
18.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.Under 62 years |
254,326 |
85.0 |
127,292 |
86.7 |
127,034 |
83.4 |
|
.62 years and over |
44,780 |
15.0 |
19,563 |
13.3 |
25,216 |
16.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.Under 65 years |
262,316 |
87.7 |
131,093 |
89.3 |
131,222 |
86.2 |
|
.65 years and over |
36,790 |
12.3 |
15,762 |
10.7 |
21,028 |
13.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.Under 75 years |
281,904 |
94.2 |
140,071 |
95.4 |
141,833 |
93.2 |
|
.75 years and over |
17,202 |
5.8 |
6,785 |
4.6 |
10,417 |
6.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1Plus
armed forces living off post or with their families on post. |
|
SOURCE: U.S.
Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and
Economic Supplement, 2008. |
|
Internet
release date: June 2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
Editor's note: The International Data Base can be
accessed at
http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/ .
Older Population in the United States: 2007 and
2008 — A series of detailed tables with data on a wide range of
demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of people 55 and older.
Topics covered include marital status, educational attainment, nativity
and citizenship status, labor force and employment status, occupation,
earnings, poverty and housing tenure. The data, collected by the Current
Population Survey, pertain to the noninstitutionalized population and
are shown for selected age groups. Internet addresses: <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/age/age_sex_older.html>.
