Social work, ageing and policies for older people

However, in Portugal, the number of older people has been substantially increasing since the 1990s. In 2001, the senior citizen group, 65 and above, became a larger population group of 17.2%, compared with the younger age group, 14 and below at 15%. In 2011, the senior citizen category comprised 19.1% of the population, and the younger 14% (INE, 2001, 2011). This increase of population poses challenges to the social security system both in terms of pension reform and in the area of care.