For the first time in history, the number of elderly people has surpassed the number of babies.
Modern.az reports that this is stated in the US Census Bureau's report on the age structure of the world's population.
According to the report, for the first time in world history, the number of people aged 65 and over has exceeded the number of children under 5. The main reasons for this are the decrease in the birth rate worldwide and the rapid aging of the population. In 2022, the share of people aged 65 and over and children under 5 in the world's population was approximately the same - 10 percent. However, after that, the share of older people began to increase, and the share of young children began to decrease.
According to forecasts, in 2060, 19.6 percent of the world's population will be over 65 years old. The share of children under 5 will decrease to approximately 7 percent.
According to the US Census Bureau, in 2023, more than 71 percent of the world's population lived in countries where the birth rate was equal to or below the level required for simple population replacement – approximately 2.1 children per woman. In 2013, this figure was 45 percent.
The number of elderly people is also expected to increase sharply in the coming years. Thus, the number of people aged 65 and over could rise from 852 million in 2025 to 2 billion in 2060. This increase will account for approximately 55 percent of the total world population growth during that period. The world population is projected to reach 10.23 billion in 2060 from 8.13 billion in 2025.
Currently, Europe remains the oldest region in the world. However, in the coming decades, the main quantitative increase in aging will occur outside Europe.
In Asia, the number of people aged 65 and over is expected to rise from 487 million to 1.24 billion. This will account for approximately two-thirds of the increase in the elderly population worldwide. Africa will remain the youngest region in the world. However, the number of elderly people on the continent will increase from 60 million to 249 million, surpassing the figure of 214 million in Europe.
In the US, 18.9 percent of the population was aged 65 and over in 2025. This figure is projected to rise to 23.4 percent in 2060. Thus, the demographic picture shows that the population is rapidly aging against the background of a decreasing birth rate and increasing life expectancy worldwide.
