ABSTRACT
POPULATION GROWTH OF SPECIFIC AGE GROUPS: 2002-2050
This figure is projected to increase rapidly, and it is estimated that the elderly will constitute nearly 17% of the global population by 2050. The percentage of elderly people varies between countries, ranging from a high of 22% in Monaco to a low of 1.7% in Mayotte, an island in the Mozambique Channel. In general, the percentage of elderly persons is higher in the developed
world and very low in Africa and the Near East. In the UK, the total population is projected to increase by 7.2 million by 2031. Life expectancy at birth will continue to rise from 81 in 2004 to 85 years in 2031 in women (Figure 1.2).2
