ABSTRACT
Most babies born in the year 2000 in such countries as Japan, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom will probably live to celebrate a 100th birthday. Life expectancy has been linearly increasing by three months a year over the last two centuries. Population ageing is a global phenomenon. Advanced age is the biggest risk factor for most clinical conditions. This helps to perpetuate negative stereotypes about ageing while consolidating the misconception that there is uniformity in the older age groups. With populations ageing steadily around the world, the main challenge for nations is to increase years of healthy life. The concept of optimal ageing views successful ageing as a diverse process with multiple outcomes. It is a balance between gains and losses. A combination of low fertility and even lower mortality, has produced the population ageing patterns of many countries today.
