India is at the bottom of the heap...India's rank is 71 out of 96 countries ranked
It’s official – Switzerland is the best place to grow old
Chris Roles This year’s Global AgeWatch rankings of the quality of life of older people around the world highlight the value of governments investing in their ageing populations.The AgeWatch Index shows that the gap, for example in life expectancy, between top- and bottom-ranking countries is growing.
Wednesday 9 September 2015
At first glance, the headline figures from this year’s Global AgeWatch Index, which ranks the quality of life of older people in 96 countries, tell a familiar story. The top 10 countries, headed by Switzerland, are in western Europe, North America (Canada, 5, and the US, 9) and Japan (8). They show us that when governments invest in their ageing populations, society as a whole gains.
Countries performing best in the index have policies that support older people’s wellbeing and autonomy. Nordic countries, for example, have universal pensions, flexible employment opportunities, lifelong learning and effective healthcare. This approach is not unique to high-income countries, as shown by Chile (21), Argentina (31) and Mauritius (42). In the Czech Republic (22), Latvia (35) and Estonia (23), governments have invested in training and education for older people to encourage greater workforce participation. This proves that recognising and addressing ageing translates into improved quality of life for older people.
Which are the best countries in the world to grow old in?
Our third Global AgeWatch Index is launched in the same month as the UN and its member states commit to new global development goals. It serves as a reminder of what needs to be done if these goals are to meet their ambition to “leave no one behind”.
People are living longer in all parts of the globe, especially in developing countries. There are currently around 901 million people aged 60 or over worldwide, representing 12.3% of the global population. By 2030, this will have increased to 1.4 billion or 16.5% of the global population. The index shines a light on this unprecedented demographic change and the need for policymakers to respond.
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) offer a key opportunity for governments to plan ahead and prepare for ageing populations. A commitment to tackling inequality is increasingly important where ageing is concerned.
Women are at higher risk of poverty in later life than men. The combination of a lifetime of gender discrimination and inequality in old age can have a devastating effect on older women. Discriminatory laws and social norms towards widows, for example, can seriously disadvantage women’s access to resources, especially in low-income countries. The contributions that older women make to their families and communities, including caring responsibilities, all too often go unnoticed or unmeasured.
In these times of rapid population ageing and global demographic change, we need to make sure that older people, their rights and needs, are fully included as the SDGs are put into action.
They need to work for people such as Justina Vanguera, 68, from Buenaventura, Colombia (36 in the Index). “I left after my fifth year at primary school but once my children grew up, I studied for my baccalaureate and graduated at 58. There’s no support for older people. I don’t have a pension. I earn a living by making and mending clothes. I have to keep working. I do not think that age is an impediment. What holds me back is lack of money.”
We want the enormous contribution of older people to their families and communities to be fully recognised and to see governments commit to addressing the rights and needs of older people now and into the future.
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/sep/09/global-agewatch-index-invest-in-ageing-populations
It’s official – Switzerland is the best place to grow old
Chris Roles This year’s Global AgeWatch rankings of the quality of life of older people around the world highlight the value of governments investing in their ageing populations.The AgeWatch Index shows that the gap, for example in life expectancy, between top- and bottom-ranking countries is growing.
Wednesday 9 September 2015
At first glance, the headline figures from this year’s Global AgeWatch Index, which ranks the quality of life of older people in 96 countries, tell a familiar story. The top 10 countries, headed by Switzerland, are in western Europe, North America (Canada, 5, and the US, 9) and Japan (8). They show us that when governments invest in their ageing populations, society as a whole gains.
Countries performing best in the index have policies that support older people’s wellbeing and autonomy. Nordic countries, for example, have universal pensions, flexible employment opportunities, lifelong learning and effective healthcare. This approach is not unique to high-income countries, as shown by Chile (21), Argentina (31) and Mauritius (42). In the Czech Republic (22), Latvia (35) and Estonia (23), governments have invested in training and education for older people to encourage greater workforce participation. This proves that recognising and addressing ageing translates into improved quality of life for older people.
Which are the best countries in the world to grow old in?
Our third Global AgeWatch Index is launched in the same month as the UN and its member states commit to new global development goals. It serves as a reminder of what needs to be done if these goals are to meet their ambition to “leave no one behind”.
People are living longer in all parts of the globe, especially in developing countries. There are currently around 901 million people aged 60 or over worldwide, representing 12.3% of the global population. By 2030, this will have increased to 1.4 billion or 16.5% of the global population. The index shines a light on this unprecedented demographic change and the need for policymakers to respond.
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) offer a key opportunity for governments to plan ahead and prepare for ageing populations. A commitment to tackling inequality is increasingly important where ageing is concerned.
A lifetime of gender discrimination combined with inequality in old age can have a devastating effect on older women
The Index highlights that the gap between the top- and bottom-ranking countries is growing. Differences in life expectancy are one reflection of this, with the gap increasing from 5.7 to 7.3 years over the past 20 years. Over the same period inequality in older people’s educational attainment has increased by half between the top and bottom 10 countries. With the improvements in health, income and education over the same period, we would have hoped to see this trend reversed.
Women are at higher risk of poverty in later life than men. The combination of a lifetime of gender discrimination and inequality in old age can have a devastating effect on older women. Discriminatory laws and social norms towards widows, for example, can seriously disadvantage women’s access to resources, especially in low-income countries. The contributions that older women make to their families and communities, including caring responsibilities, all too often go unnoticed or unmeasured.
In these times of rapid population ageing and global demographic change, we need to make sure that older people, their rights and needs, are fully included as the SDGs are put into action.
They need to work for people such as Justina Vanguera, 68, from Buenaventura, Colombia (36 in the Index). “I left after my fifth year at primary school but once my children grew up, I studied for my baccalaureate and graduated at 58. There’s no support for older people. I don’t have a pension. I earn a living by making and mending clothes. I have to keep working. I do not think that age is an impediment. What holds me back is lack of money.”
We want the enormous contribution of older people to their families and communities to be fully recognised and to see governments commit to addressing the rights and needs of older people now and into the future.
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/sep/09/global-agewatch-index-invest-in-ageing-populations
