UN: World Population Ageing 2009 Report

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The Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations has long experience in the analysis of population ageing. In addition to preparing national estimates and projections of older populations, the Population Division has contributed to the analysis of the determinants and consequences of population ageing. The Population Division is the organizational unit of the Secretariat charged with monitoring progress towards the achievement of the goals set out in the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in 1994. The Programme of Action enunciated objectives and recommended actions concerning population ageing and older persons (United Nations, 1995).

The Population Division has also organized expert meetings on various aspects of population ageing. In 1997, for example, the Division convened a meeting on below-replacement fertility (United Nations,2000); in 2000, two meetings on population ageing were organized: the first on the living arrangements of older persons (United Nations, 2001), and the second on policy responses to population ageing and population decline (United Nations, 2004). More recently, in 2005, the Population Division organized an expert group meeting on the social and economic implications of changing population age structures (United Nations, 2007a).

In 1982, the United Nations adopted the International Plan of Action on Ageing at the first World Assembly on Ageing (United Nations, 1982). Then, in 1999 in its resolution 54/262, the General Assembly decided to convene the Second World Assembly on Ageing in 2002. The Second World Assembly adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, marking a turning point in how the world addresses the key challenge of building a society for all ages. The Plan focuses on three priority areas: older persons and development; advancing health and well-being into old age; and ensuring enabling and supportive environments.

This new edition of World Population Ageing is the third in a series. The first report was released in 2002 in conjunction with the Second World Assembly on Ageing. The present report, which updates the 2007 edition, provides a description of global trends in population ageing and includes a series of indicators of the ageing process by development regions, major areas, regions and countries. This new edition includes new features on ageing in rural and urban areas, the coverage of pension systems and the impact of the 2007-2008 financial crisis on pension systems. The report is intended to provide a solid demographic foundation for the follow-up activities of the Second World Assembly on Ageing.

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