Abstract
Population ageing is currently a phenomenon not only in developed countries but also in third world countries. In this paper the features of a population's ageing and the process of epidemiological transition are discussed along with the worldwide changes in age-structure. Population statistics in Brazil and the characteristics of the elderly population are presented and analysed in the light of recent changes. The Brazilian elderly population is also discussed, particularly the issues relating to the social cost of the aged population, its urban and rural distribution, the elderly by sex, marital status and level of schooling, and emphasis is given to the imbalance of the sexes and the consequences of it for women.
Highlights
A question which may arise in the minds of those reading this article, might be: Why write a paper on old people in a young country? A straight answer is simple: Brazil already has a large elderly population but very few studies have been undertaken on it
In Brazil, in the near future the demographic trend will be such that the proportion of the elderly population will remain less than 10% and will consist of a characteristically "young-old" group aged between 60 and 69 years
Despite the fact that the number of aged is increasing in the country as a whole, there remains a significant variation between the proportion of elderly in these two kinds of areas
Summary
A question which may arise in the minds of those reading this article, might be: Why write a paper on old people in a young country? A straight answer is simple: Brazil already has a large elderly population but very few studies have been undertaken on it. In Brazil, in the near future the demographic trend will be such that the proportion of the elderly population will remain less than 10% and will consist of a characteristically "young-old" group aged between 60 and 69 years. In many developed countries the fastest increasing age group is that with those over 70 years old6,31,34,51,59,66.83. Another of Brazil's peculiarities is that it is not homogeneous country. Despite the fact that the number of aged is increasing in the country as a whole, there remains a significant variation between the proportion of elderly in these two kinds of areas. In this paper demographic and economic data will be presented for the world as a whole and for Brazil, The characteristics of the ageing group as a whole, the concepts of a "young-old" group and the heterogeneity of Brazil will be explained in terms of age, sex, marital status, urban/rural distribuiton and literacy
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