Managing Ageing Population Economic and Social Impacts Different Strategies to Cope with Ageing Population Case Study- UK

1. Ageing Population

2. • Thepopulation structure of an ageing population
hasmore older people than younger people
because few people are being born and peopleare
living to beolder.
• Countries with aan ageing population areusually
the richer countries. ( Germany, France, UK,
Japan, etc.)
• Older people (over 65) are supported by the
working population (aged16-64)- they're
dependant on them . So, in acountry with an
ageing population there is ahigher proportion of
people who are dependant.
Managing Ageing Population

3. • Theworking population pay taxes, some of which the government
useto pay the state pensions of olderpeople and to pay for services
like healthcare and retirement homes.
• Taxeswould need to go up because there are more pensions to pay
forand older people need more healthcare.
Theeconomy would grow more slowly- lessmoney is being spent on
thingsthat help the economy e.g. education and business.
Economic

4. • Healthcare services are stretched more becauseolder people need
more medical care.
• People will need to spend more time working asunpaid carers for
older family members. This means that the working population
have lessleisure time and are more stressed and worried.
• People may have fewer children because they cant afford lots of
children when they have dependant older relatives. This leads to a
drop in birth rate.
• Themore old people there are the lower the pension will be .People
will have to retire later becausetheycant afford to get by on astate
pension.
Social

5. • Encouraginglarger familiese.g. in
Italy womenare offered cash
rewardsto havemore children. This
increasesthe numberof young
people- whenthey start work there
will alarger workingpopulation to
paytaxesandsupportthe ageing
population
• Encouragingthe immigration of
youngpeople from othercountries.
Thisincreasesthe working
population.
Thesesstrategies
don’t help
towards
sustainable
development
becausethey
increasethe
populationsize.

6. • Raisingthe retirement age-
people stayin work longer and
contribute to state pensions
andpersonalpensionsfor
longer.Theywill alsoclaimthe
state pensionfor lesstime.
• Raisingtaxesfor the working
population- thiswould
increasethe amount of money
availableto support the ageing
population.
Thesestrategies help
towardssustainable
development because
they help to reducethe
impactsof anageing
population,without
increasingthe
populationsize.

7. TheUkspopulation is ageing
Theageingpopulation iscausedbyIncreasing
Lifeexpectancyanddroppingbirth rate
• Peopleare living longerdueto medicaladvancesandimproved living standards
• Between1980 and2015 life expectancyrose8 yearsfor UK citizens.
• Lotsof babieswere bornin the 1940sand1960s . Thosebornin the 1950s are
retiring now creatinga pensionerboom.
• Sincethe 1970sthe numberof babiesbeingbornhasfallen . With fewer young
peoplein the population.

8. • More elderly people are living in poverty- the workingpopulation
isn't largeenoughto payfor a decentpension,andmanypeople
don’t haveother savings.
• Eventhough the state pension islow the government isstruggling
to pay it. The taxes paid by people in work aren't enough to cover
the cost of pensions and asthe population agesthe situation gets
worse.
• Thehealth serviceisunder pressurebecauseolder people need
more medicalcarethan younger people.
TheUksAgeingpopulation causesa few
problems:

9. TheUKgovernmenthasstrategies to copewith
anageingpopulation
• Raisethe retirement age-peoplewill haveto work for longersotherewill
bemorepeople payingtax andfewer people claiming pensions.
• Encourageimmigrationof youngpeople to the UK-Thisincreasesthe
numberof people payingtaxeswhichhelpspayfor the statepensionand
services.
• Encouragewomento have children
• Encouragepeople to take out private pensions-With private pensions
peoplewont be sodependantonthe statepension.

10. Reference:
Population_structure_and_ageing- http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-
explained/index.php/Population_structure_and_ageing
National Insurance Fond-
https://www.theguardian.com/money/blog/2017/may/20/pensioners-pay-
national-insurance-fund-care-theresa-may/
Ageing Population- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_ageing
Pressure on Health System- https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-
news/news/71432415/aging-population-puts-pressure-on-health-system