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Ethiopia remains one of the least urbanized countries in the world, with 84 percent of its population residing in rural areas. More...

(September 2006) Where are the world's oldest countries? The answer can be found in the new Aging topic area just added to PRB's Graphics Bank. Nine new graphics highlight important aspects of aging in the United States and abroad, with additional graphics to be added over time from recent PRB publications, presentations, and articles. The new Aging Graphics (all are PowerPoint files) include:

• The World's 15 'Oldest' Countries and the United States
  Nearly one-fifth of Japanese and Italians are age 65 or older—and this percentage is increasing. Close behind are 12 other European countries identified in this graphic. The United States, with 12 percent age 65 or older, is relatively "young" by these standards.

• Speed of Population Aging in Selected Countries
  Aging is proceeding more rapidly now than in the past, and is compressing the time countries have to adjust to this fundamental change. Japan doubled its percent of population age 65 or older in just 26 years, but aging is occurring even more rapidly in Brazil, Singapore, and Thailand.

• Percent Widowed in Australia, Malaysia, and Croatia
  The percent widowed rises with age, but this increase is especially dramatic for women. Sixty percent or more of women age 75 or older are widowed in these three countries, compared with about 25 percent of men age 75 or older.

• Older Canadians Living Alone, 1961 to 2001
  The number of older Canadian women living alone increased eightfold between 1961 and 2001. Over the same period, the number of older Canadian men living alone nearly tripled.

• Living Arrangements of Older Japanese
  Shifts in the living arrangements of older Japanese highlight broader changes in Japanese family structure. The percentage of older Japanese living with their children fell from 87 percent in 1960 to 56 percent in 1995, and is projected to fall to 42 percent by 2010.

• Women and Aging
  Women live longer than men, on average, which means that women account for a larger share of the elderly population. Globally, women make up 63 percent of people age 80 or older.

• Trends in Aging, by World Region
  Although aging is a global trend, there are stark contrasts in the elderly among world regions. Africa is the youngest region: The percentage age 65 or older is projected to rise from 3 percent to 4 percent between 2000 and 2025. Over the same period, the older population is projected to rise from 6 percent to 10 percent in Asia and in Latin America and the Caribbean; and from 14 percent to 21 percent in more developed regions.

• Aging in China
  The world's most populous country is aging rapidly, and the percentage age 65 or older will skyrocket between 2010 and 2040 because of the steep fertility decline associated with China 's one-child family policy, and because of increased life expectancy at older ages.

• China's Age DistributionThe demographic effects of rapid aging are dramatically illustrated by graphs of China 's age and sex profile in 1950, 2000, and 2050. China now faces the prospect of having too few children to support its rapidly aging population. Meeting the health and long-term care needs of this growing elderly population will result in soaring health care costs and fewer working-age people to share the burden.

By 2050, the world will include nearly 1.5 billion people age 65 or older, with 1.2 billion living in less developed countries. This demographic transition will profoundly affect the health and socioeconomic development of all nations. Aging is both a cause and consequence of slowing population growth—even population decline—in an increasing number of countries. Aging is also associated with higher rates of widowhood, expanding percentages of women at older ages, negative population momentum, and important shifts in the labor force.

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