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Socioeconomic Differences in Old Age MortalityAging and Mortality

Socioeconomic Differences in Old Age Mortality: Aging and Mortality Chapter 1 1.1 Increasing Life Expectancy Most countries in the world have aging societies, i.e., populations where the mean age and the share of old people are increasing. The United Nations defines aging societies as societies in which more than 7 percent of the population are 65 years old or older, and aged societies as societies where 14 percent are in this age group. According to this definition, Denmark and Germany are aged societies with their respective percentages being 14.9 and 17.5 in 2003 (World Bank 2004). The USA is still an aging society with 12.4 percent of the population over the age of 64 in 2002 (ibid.). The percentage of people in the world above age 60 was 8 percent in 1950, 10 percent in 2005 and is expected to be 22 percent in 2050 (United Nations 2005:13). This aging process consists of two distinct demographic changes: falling fertility and falling mortality in older ages. The fertility decline is based on the increased use of contraceptives and on the change of lifestyles and values which compromise between family life and childbearing on the one hand and occupational duties, inse- curities and individualized self-realization on the other. Mortality decline http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

Socioeconomic Differences in Old Age MortalityAging and Mortality

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Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Copyright
© Springer Netherlands 2008
ISBN
978-1-4020-8691-5
Pages
5 –14
DOI
10.1007/978-1-4020-8692-2_2
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

Chapter 1 1.1 Increasing Life Expectancy Most countries in the world have aging societies, i.e., populations where the mean age and the share of old people are increasing. The United Nations defines aging societies as societies in which more than 7 percent of the population are 65 years old or older, and aged societies as societies where 14 percent are in this age group. According to this definition, Denmark and Germany are aged societies with their respective percentages being 14.9 and 17.5 in 2003 (World Bank 2004). The USA is still an aging society with 12.4 percent of the population over the age of 64 in 2002 (ibid.). The percentage of people in the world above age 60 was 8 percent in 1950, 10 percent in 2005 and is expected to be 22 percent in 2050 (United Nations 2005:13). This aging process consists of two distinct demographic changes: falling fertility and falling mortality in older ages. The fertility decline is based on the increased use of contraceptives and on the change of lifestyles and values which compromise between family life and childbearing on the one hand and occupational duties, inse- curities and individualized self-realization on the other. Mortality decline

Published: Jan 1, 2008

Keywords: Life Expectancy; Rich Country; Increase Life Expectancy; Aging Society; Mortality Decline

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