ABSTRACT
The world is growing older. The proportion of older people is growing, much faster than the global population as a whole. By the year 2000, this growth rate will result in more than 410 million older people world-wide (41% and 59% in developed and developing countries, respectively), compared with 290 million in 1987 (46% and 54%, respectively) (US Bureau of the Census, 1987). In most developed societies, one of the most significant and emerging demographic facts affecting the current and future course of societal development is the ageing of the population. The ratio of ‘societal ageing’ (the percentage of ‘older people’1 in the total population) increased rapidly while population growth slowed during the 20th century. In line with these trends, Japan has also experienced significant changes in its age structure, and is now at the forefront of an ageing world.
