G20 Osaka Summit - Ageing

In historic first, G20 weighs ageing as global risk

In 2019, G20 member countries are home to more than 70 per cent of the world's population aged 65 years or over ("older persons"). The number of persons aged 65 or over in G20 countries is expected to grow from 501 million in 2019 to 705 million in 2030, and further to about 1 billion in 2050. The number of persons aged 80 or over in G20 countries is expected to triple during that period, from 102 million in 2019 to 307 million in 2050. In 2019, persons aged 65 or over accounted for 10 per cent of the population living in G20 countries; by 2050, they will represent more than a quarter. The share of "oldest persons" (aged 80+) in the population is increasing rapidly in G20 countries and is expected to reach 15% or more in Japan and the Republic of Korea by 2050.

For the first time, the world's top policymakers in the G20 are tackling economic issues related to ageing and falling birth rates. In their communique, the Group said that "demographic changes ... pose challenges and opportunities for all G20 members" and that the issue requires a mix of "fiscal, monetary, financial and structural policies".

To support policy makers at all level to address population ageing, the Population Division is pleased to announce the release of Profiles of Ageing 2019, which present a selection of key ageing indicators for the world, regions and sub-regions, development and income groups, and countries or areas, based on data from World Population Prospects 2019. The related Ten Key Findings offer an overview of ageing trends across G20 member states.

The Population Division publishes reports, data sets, wall charts and briefs on ageing and development (see list below). It also organizes and services expert meetings, produces analytical reports on the topic, and offers technical assistance to countries to support activities in this area.

Resources

• Ten Key Findings
• G20 Summit official webpage
• Profiles of Ageing
• Age distribution
• Asia-Pacific Workshop on Measuring Population Ageing and Assessing its Economic and Fiscal Consequences United Nations Expert Group Meeting on 'Measuring population ageing: Bridging research and policy