## Wising Up to the Rising Costs of Aging Populations

_IMF Blog, August 15, 2011_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Wising Up to the Rising Costs of Aging Populations](https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2011/08/15/wising-up-to-the-rising-costs-of-aging-populations)

## Other formats

- [Markdown version](/en/blogs/articles/2011/08/15/wising-up-to-the-rising-costs-of-aging-populations/index.md)
- [Structured JSON version](/en/blogs/articles/2011/08/15/wising-up-to-the-rising-costs-of-aging-populations/index.json)
- [Bundle manifest](/en/blogs/articles/2011/08/15/wising-up-to-the-rising-costs-of-aging-populations/bundle-manifest.json)

## Bibliographic details
- Authors: falling fertility, rising life expectancy.
- Published: August 15, 2011

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### Summary and context
- Publication date: August 15, 2011
- Author of the page: Jeremy Clift
- Theme: Global demographic transformation driven by falling fertility and rising life expectancy, with significant consequences for public and private budgets and intergenerational welfare.

### Demographic projections and key figures
- The world’s population will reach 7 billion this year.
- The world’s population is projected to exceed 9 billion in 2050.
- Populations in rich industrial nations and some middle- and lower-income countries, such as China, will age as the proportion of elderly people rises dramatically.

### Anticipated challenges
- Rising elderly populations could:
  - Threaten the ability of many countries to provide a decent standard of living for the old without imposing a crushing burden on the young.
  - Affect every dimension of life—from the shape of the family to the shape of the world order.
- Population aging will challenge public and private budgets in many ways.

### Possible mitigating behaviors and responses identified
- Through a combination of:
  - Reduced consumption,
  - Postponed retirement,
  - Increased asset holdings,
  - Greater investment in human capital,
  it should be possible to meet this challenge without catastrophic consequences.

### Research and contributions cited
- Lead article authors: Ronald Lee and Andrew Mason — emphasize important changes in the age distribution hidden behind headline population numbers.
- Neil Howe and Richard Jackson — publish a ranking of which countries are best and worst prepared to meet the needs of the growing wave of retirees.

### Multimedia and engagement
- Embedded video reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ukNFMeZvcc
- Social engagement: To follow on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FinanceandDevelopment

*Source: Wising Up to the Rising Costs of Aging Populations (IMF blog page), August 15, 2011.*

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## References

- [Jeremy Clift](http://blogs.imf.org/bloggers/jeremy-clift/)
- [Finance & Development](http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2011/06/index.htm)
- [lead article](http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2011/06/lee.htm)
- [China](http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/pvcast.aspx)
- [Neil Howe and Richard Jackson publish a fascinating ranking](http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2011/06/howe.htm)

_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2011/08/15/wising-up-to-the-rising-costs-of-aging-populations_