Abstract
In recent years, population aging has been recognized as an emerging challenge in many parts of the world. Earlier studies discussed its impacts on the sustainability of social security systems and national economic growth; however, they tended to focus on the issues at the national level and were limited to developed countries. With the knowledge that population aging will be a predominant trend in both developed and developing countries, this paper aims to: (i) describe the global population aging trend and its regional demography; (ii) provide a structural review of population aging challenges at the national, communal and individual levels; and (iii) elaborate future research topics on population aging with a particular emphasis on developing countries. Several indicators suggest rapid population aging in the coming decades, especially in Asia, Latin America and Africa. The structural review presents the diverse challenges that affect both young and older population groups. Finally, the need for linking population aging with the sustainable development concept and the possible rural decline caused by rapid urbanization are suggested as future research topics. Further studies to establish a body of knowledge on population aging in developing countries are required to place population aging on the agenda of future sustainable development discussions.
Highlights
In recent years, population aging has been recognized as an emerging social challenge in many parts of the world
Population aging is largely seen as a threat to: (i) sustainable economic growth due to the possible shrinkage of the labor force [10,11]; and (ii) social security systems to support the elderly, such as pension plans, healthcare schemes and long-term care insurance [12,13,14,15]
With the increase of life expectancies and the actual size of the older population defining an era of aging societies, in which increasing proportions of older populations will continue in the coming decades, what kinds of challenges should we expect? Given the expected impacts of population aging in the coming decades, this paper aims to: (i) describe population aging trends in the world and the regional demography; (ii) provide a structural review of population aging challenges at three levels, namely the national, the communal and the individual levels; and (iii) elaborate future research topics on population aging that emphasize the situation of developing countries
Summary
Population aging has been recognized as an emerging social challenge in many parts of the world. Population aging is largely seen as a threat to: (i) sustainable economic growth due to the possible shrinkage of the labor force [10,11]; and (ii) social security systems to support the elderly, such as pension plans, healthcare schemes and long-term care insurance [12,13,14,15]. In contrast to these alarmist views, some call attention to the emerging “silver market” to illustrate a positive economic outlook The case of rural Japan is presented to illustrate the emerging population aging challenges in rural areas where the aging phenomenon is happening rapidly
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
