ABSTRACT
In the latter half of the 20th century, the more developed countries of the world experienced population ageing to a degree unprecedented in demographic history. In the first 50 years of this new century, less developed and transitional countries are predicted to go through the same transition. Such population ageing is arising from a steady fall in both fertility and mortality across the globe, with the exception of sub-Saharan Africa. Europe reached ‘maturity’ at the turn of the millennium, with more older people (60+) than younger (under 15). It is predicted that Asia will become mature by 2040, and the Americas shortly afterwards. Such global ageing is not occurring in isolation – it is emerging in the context of globalization itself, in a world increasingly dominated by the flow of human and economic capital across national boundaries. Indeed, a key stimulus to such capital flows is the emerging demographic imbalances arising from the differential movement of regions into maturity. Thus while an understanding of the dynamics of globalization is essential to address the challenges and opportunities of ageing societies, so it is also necessary to understand the dynamics of global ageing as a component of globalization.
