The soaring elderly dependency ratio

This chart is taken from the Economist and shows the percentage of people aged 65+ as a percentage of the population aged 20-64.

As the numbers of workers fall, the people dependent on them increases. In Italy, the population aged 65 and over will jump by 44% between 2005 and 2050. Combine that with a decline of over 30% in the working-age population and the result will be a spectacular jump in the dependency ratio, from 32% in 2005 to 67% by 2050. In France, even though fertility has been higher, the dependency ratio will still jump, from 28% to 51% over the same period.

Heavens knows what the marketing implications of this change will be. Whatever happens the social and economic changes will dwarf everything else. Dick Stroud: www.20plus30.com


Data from the Economist