Globally, about 25 percent of the population is under 15 years of age and 10 percent is over 65 years of age. Africa has the youngest population worldwide. In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 40 percent of the population is below 15 years, and only three percent are above 65, indicating the low life expectancy in several of the countries. In Europe, on the other hand, a higher share of the population is above 65 years than the population under 15 years. Fertility rates The high share of children and youth in Africa is connected to the high fertility rates on the continent. For instance, South Sudan and Niger have the highest population growth rates globally. However, about 50 percent of the world’s population live in countries with low fertility, where women have less than 2.1 children. Some countries in Europe, like Latvia and Lithuania, have experienced a population decline of one percent, and in the Cook Islands, it is even above two percent. In Europe, the majority of the population was previously working-aged adults with few dependents, but this trend is expected to reverse soon, and it is predicted that by 2050, the older population will outnumber the young in many developed countries. Growing global population As of 2025, there are 8.1 billion people living on the planet, and this is expected to reach more than nine billion before 2040. Moreover, the global population is expected to reach 10 billions around 2060, before slowing and then even falling slightly by 2100. As the population growth rates indicate, a significant share of the population increase will happen in Africa.

In the past years, the share of people aged over 65 years grew constantly in Italy. Estimates for 2025 report that **** percent of the Italian inhabitants are aged 65 years and older. Moreover, **** percent of the residents are aged between 15 and 64 years and only **** percent are 14 years old and younger. In 2025, the Italian region with the highest share of kids up to 14 years old was Trentino-South Tyrol, with **** percent. On the other hand, **** percent of the people in Liguria were over 65 years, making it the region with the highest share of elderly among its residents. Causes of an aging population The growing share of old people in Italy is due to two main factors. First, the birth rate in the country decreased over the last years. In 2024, less than ***** children were born per 1,000 inhabitants, 2 fewer infants than in 2002. Second, life expectancy increased over the same period. A 65-year-old Italian woman could expect to have almost ** more years of life ahead in 2002, while by 2024 this number reached ****. The increase for men was even greater, with male life expectancy at 65 growing from around ** years in 2002 to **** years in 2024. Future demographic trends The aging trend in the Italian population is not expected to change in the upcoming years. Projections suggest that the country's population is going to sensibly decrease in numbers. Population forecasts for 2050 account for slightly less than ** million citizens, around * million fewer compared to 2020.

As of June 2024, there were approximately 320,490 residents between the ages of 30 to 34 years old in Singapore, making it the largest age group among its resident population. This reflects the increasingly aging population of Singapore, a significant demographical shift that will have long-lasting socio-economic repercussions. Living longer… The improvements in health care and quality of life has led to Singapore having one of the highest life expectancies in the world. Coupled with one of the lowest fertility rate globally, Singapore society faces a crisis of aging. The average age of its resident population is projected to increase to just under 51 years old by 2050. …and working longer The prospect of an aging population is worrying for a country whose most important resource is its people. The current retirement age of 62 would no longer be tenable when close to half the population is expected to be aged 65 years or older by 2050. There is already a trend of elderly workers re-entering the workforce, be it to keep themselves occupied or to support themselves financially. The share of the population who would be working well into old age looks set to increase in the future, as a majority of Singaporeans have indicated that they were not financially prepared for old age.Singapore is well-known for its emphasis on career and shunning welfare policies; however, there is an urgent need to rethink and overhaul its social security and medical care systems to weather the silver tsunami that is set to engulf the island state.

Israel's population is aging steadily, with the median age projected to rise from ** years in 2020 to ** years by 2050. This demographic shift reflects global trends of increasing life expectancy and declining birth rates, though Israel maintained a relatively young population compared to many developed nations. The country's unique religious and cultural makeup contributed to regional variations in age distribution, presenting both opportunities and challenges for policymakers. Which region has the oldest population? As of 2023, over a ******* of Israelis were under the age of 14 years. The largest age group in the country being ************** and below. Interestingly, significant regional differences existed within the country when it came to age distribution and aging. While the median age in the Jerusalem district was below **, Tel Aviv was the oldest region with an average age of over ** years, highlighting significant demographic variations across different areas. How does religion influence demographics? Religious affiliation played a role in Israel's age structure and demographics. Muslims are the youngest religious group with a median age of ** years, while Christians of Arab ethnicity are the oldest, at ** years. Jews, the largest religious-ethnic group, had a median age of almost ** years, but within the Jewish demographic, age and fertility varied greatly between people based on religiosity. These differences play a significant role in the country's population and future growth patterns.

There were over 4.7 million people aged between 30 and 34 in the United Kingdom in 2023, making it the most populous age group in that year. Those aged between 35 and 39 years comprised the next most numerous age group in 2023, at over 4.64 million people. Millennials overtake Boomers as biggest generation Post-war demographic trends, particularly the 'baby boom' phenomenon, have significantly influenced the current age distribution in the UK. The postwar peak of live births in 1947 resulted in the dominance of the Baby Boomer generation for several decades, until 2020 when Millennials became the largest generational cohort, surpassing the Boomers for the first time. The following year, the UK Boomer population was then overtaken by Generation X, the generation born between Boomers and Millennials. Generation Z, however, remains smaller than the three generations that preceded it, at 12.9 million individuals in 2022. Aging UK population poses challenges The median age of the UK population is projected to reach 44.5 years by 2050, compared to 34.9 years in 1950. This aging trend is indicative of broader global demographic shifts, with the median age of people worldwide forecasted to increase from 23.6 years in 1950 to 41.9 years by 2100. How countries like the UK manage their aging populations will be one of the key challenges of the next few decades. It is likely the UK's struggling National Health Service (NHS) will come under even more pressure in the coming years. There are also tough economic questions, in particular as more people enter retirement age and the UK's working population gets smaller in relation to it.