ABSTRACT
The urgency and importance of the process of ageing has, to date, been mainly associated with contemporary developed societies of Western Europe, and only recently has been addressed as a significant issue in the Central and Eastern region (CEE). This is partially due to an emphasis on other important demographic issues such as high adult mortality as well as relatively high infant and child mortality in CEE in the period immediately after the collapse of communism. However, recent demographic trends, such as the negative annual population growth of countries in CEE (-0.5 per cent in 2000–2005 compared to 0.1 per cent in the North of Europe), as well as very low levels of fertility with total fertility rates (TFR) between 1.2–1.3 children per woman (2005) have brought the ageing process onto the agenda of many scholars and policy makers in CEE. When the demographic determinants of ageing are considered, CEE has lower levels of fertility compared to the rest of Europe suggesting, if maintained, a faster ageing process in the coming decades.
