In 2023, Monaco was the country with the highest percentage of total population that was over the age of 65 with 36 percent. Japan had the second highest with 29 percent, while Portugal and Bulgaria followed in third with 24 percent.

The average for 2023 based on 196 countries was 10.17 percent. The highest value was in Monaco: 36.36 percent and the lowest value was in Qatar: 1.57 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2023, Italy and Portugal were the European countries with the largest share of elderly population, with 24 percent of the total population aged 65 years and older. Bulgaria, Czechia, and Finland were the countries with the next highest shares of elderly people in their population, while the European Union on average had 21.3 percent of the population being elderly. Iceland, Luxembourg, and Türkiye had the fewest elderly people, with all three having less than 15 percent of their population in this age category.

In Japan, 30 percent of the population was 65 years or more in 2024, underlining the aging population of the country. Among the G7, also Germany and Italy had a higher share of people aged 65 years or more than inhabitants aged zero to 19 years. The United States had the highest share of children and youth between zero and 19 years at nearly 25 percent.

In 2040, the percentage of the population of Singapore above the age of 65 was forecasted to reach more than 29 percent. Comparatively, the share of population older than 65 in Laos was forecasted to reach about 7.6 percent.

The G7 countries are facing aging populations in the coming decades. This is especially the case in Italy and Japan, where over 37 percent of the population was forecast to be 65 years or older by 2050. By 2050, all G7 countries are predicted to have a higher share of people above 65 years than people between zero and 19 years. Japan, Italy, as well as Germany already had a higher share of older population than children and youth in 2024.

The main objectives of this data collection effort were to assemble a set of cross-nationally comparable microdata samples for Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) countries based on the 1990 national population and housing censuses in countries of Europe and North America, and to use these samples to study the social and economic conditions of older persons. The samples are designed to allow research on a wide range of issues related to aging, as well as on other social phenomena. The Estonia microdata sample contains information on persons aged 50 and over and the persons who reside with them. Variables included in this dataset cover geographic area, type of residency, type of dwelling, and household characteristics, as well as demographic information such as age, sex, marital status, number of children, education, income, and occupation.

In 2023, the share of the population of Japan above the age of 65 was projected to amount to around 30 percent. In contrast, the share of population older than 65 in Thailand was projected to be about 1.6 percent that year.

Abstract

Purpose: The multi-country Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) is run by the World Health Organization's Multi-Country Studies unit in the Innovation, Information, Evidence and Research Cluster. SAGE is part of the unit's Longitudinal Study Programme which is compiling longitudinal data on the health and well-being of adult populations, and the ageing process, through primary data collection and secondary data analysis. INDEPTH SAGE Wave 1 (2006/7) provides data on the health and well-being of adults in: Ghana, India and South Africa.

Objectives: To obtain reliable, valid and comparable health, health-related and well-being data over a range of key domains for adult and older adult populations in nationally representative samples To examine patterns and dynamics of age-related changes in health and well-being using longitudinal follow-up of a cohort as they age, and to investigate socio-economic consequences of these health changes To supplement and cross-validate self-reported measures of health and the anchoring vignette approach to improving comparability of self-reported measures, through measured performance tests for selected health domains To collect health examination and biomarker data that improves reliability of morbidity and risk factor data and to objectively monitor the effect of interventions

Additional Objectives: To generate large cohorts of older adult populations and comparison cohorts of younger populations for following-up intermediate outcomes, monitoring trends, examining transitions and life events, and addressing relationships between determinants and health, well-being and health-related outcomes To develop a mechanism to link survey data to demographic surveillance site data To build linkages with other national and multi-country ageing studies To improve the methodologies to enhance the reliability and validity of health outcomes and determinants data To provide a public-access information base to engage all stakeholders, including national policy makers and health systems planners, in planning and decision-making processes about the health and well-being of older adults

Methods: INDEPTH SAGE's first full round of data collection included persons aged 50 years and older in the health and demographic surveillance sites. All persons aged 50+ years (for example, spouses and siblings) were invited to participate. Standardized SAGE survey instruments were used in all countries consisting of two main parts: 1) household questionnaire; 2) individual questionnaire. The procedures for including country-specific adaptations to the standardized questionnaire and translations into local languages from English follow those developed by and used for the World Health Survey.

Content - Household questionnaire 0000 Coversheet 0100 Sampling Information 0200 Geocoding and GPS Information 0300 Recontact Information 0350 Contact Record 0400 Household Roster 0450 Kish Tables and Household Consent 0500 Housing 0600 Household and Family Support Networks and Transfers 0700 Assets and Household Income 0800 Household Expenditures 0900 Interviewer Observations

• Individual questionnaire 1000 Socio-Demographic Characteristics 1500 Work History and Benefits 2000 Health State Descriptions and Vignettes 2500 Anthropometrics, Performance Tests and Biomarkers 3000 Risk Factors and Preventive Health Behaviours 4000 Chronic Conditions and Health Services Coverage 5000 Health Care Utilization 6000 Social Cohesion 7000 Subjective Well-Being and Quality of Life (WHOQoL-8 and Day Reconstruction Method) 8000 Impact of Caregiving 9000 Interviewer Assessment

Geographic coverage

Rural subdistrict Mpumalanga Province

Analysis unit

household and individuals

Universe

Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance Site fifty plus population

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Simple random sample of 575 persons 50 years and older with an oversample of women from the 2005 HDSS census.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The questionnaires were based on the WHS Model Questionnaire with some modification and many new additions. A household questionnaire was administered to all households eligible for the study. An Individual questionnaire was administered to eligible respondents identified from the household roster. The questionnaires were developed in English and were piloted as part of the SAGE pretest. All documents were translated into Shangaan.

Cleaning operations

Data editing took place at a number of stages including: (1) office editing and coding (2) during data entry (3) structural checking of the CSPro files (4) range and consistency secondary edits in Stata

Response rate

86% of participants accepted to participate, 10% were not found and 4% refused to participate.

In 2050, the three East Asian countries Hong Kong (SAR of China), South Korea, and Japan are forecasted to have the highest share of people aged 65 years or more. Except for Kuwait, all the countries on the list are either in Europe or East Asia. By 2050, 22 percent of the world's population is expected to be above 60 years.

Monaco Population: Total: Aged 65 and Above data was reported at 12,991.000 Person in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 13,099.000 Person for 2022. Monaco Population: Total: Aged 65 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 6,664.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13,236.000 Person in 2020 and a record low of 4,122.000 Person in 1960. Monaco Population: Total: Aged 65 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Monaco – Table MC.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Total population 65 years of age or older. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.;World Bank staff estimates using the World Bank's total population and age/sex distributions of the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2022 Revision.;Sum;

Japan JP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data was reported at 29.934 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 29.446 % for 2016. Japan JP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 13.229 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 29.934 % in 2017 and a record low of 6.270 % in 1960. Japan JP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population 65 years of age or older as a percentage of the total female population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: Knowing how many girls, adolescents and women there are in a population helps a country in determining its provision of services.

Graph and download economic data for Age Dependency Ratio: Older Dependents to Working-Age Population for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia (SPPOPDPNDOLECA) from 1960 to 2023 about Central Asia, working-age, ratio, Europe, and population.

Graph and download economic data for Age Dependency Ratio: Older Dependents to Working-Age Population for High Income Countries (SPPOPDPNDOLHIC) from 1960 to 2023 about working-age, ratio, income, and population.

Cayman Islands Population: Total: Aged 65 and Above data was reported at 5,608.000 Person in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 5,332.000 Person for 2021. Cayman Islands Population: Total: Aged 65 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 1,651.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2022, with 63 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,608.000 Person in 2022 and a record low of 596.000 Person in 1962. Cayman Islands Population: Total: Aged 65 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Cayman Islands – Table KY.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Total population 65 years of age or older. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.;World Bank staff estimates using the World Bank's total population and age/sex distributions of the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2022 Revision.;Sum;

Germany DE: Population: as % of Total: Male: Aged 65 and Above data was reported at 20.422 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 20.080 % for 2022. Germany DE: Population: as % of Total: Male: Aged 65 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 11.680 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 20.422 % in 2023 and a record low of 9.905 % in 1960. Germany DE: Population: as % of Total: Male: Aged 65 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Male population 65 years of age or older as a percentage of the total male population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.;United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision.;Weighted average;

Graph and download economic data for Age Dependency Ratio: Older Dependents to Working-Age Population for High Income non-OECD Countries (SPPOPDPNDOLNOC) from 1960 to 2014 about Non-OECD, working-age, ratio, income, and population.

Monaco is the country with the highest median age in the world. The population has a median age of around 56 years, which is around six years more than in Japan and Saint Pierre and Miquelon – the other countries that make up the top three. Southern European countries make up a large part of the top 20, with Italy, Slovenia, Greece, San Marino, Andorra, and Croatia all making the list. Low infant mortality means higher life expectancy Monaco and Japan also have the lowest infant mortality rates in the world, which contributes to the calculation of a higher life expectancy because fewer people are dying in the first years of life. Indeed, many of the nations with a high median age also feature on the list of countries with the highest average life expectancy, such as San Marino, Japan, Italy, and Lichtenstein. Demographics of islands and small countries Many smaller countries and island nations have populations with a high median age, such as Guernsey and the Isle of Man, which are both island territories within the British Isles. An explanation for this could be that younger people leave to seek work or education opportunities, while others choose to relocate there for retirement.

Abstract

The multi-country Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) is run by the World Health Organization's Multi-Country Studies unit in the Health Systems and Innovation Cluster. SAGE is part of the unit's Longitudinal Study Programme which is compiling longitudinal data on the health and well-being of adult populations, and the ageing process, through primary data collection and secondary data analysis. SAGE baseline data (Wave 0, 2002/3) was collected as part of WHO's World Health Survey http://www.who.int/healthinfo/survey/en/index.html (WHS). SAGE Wave 2 (2014/15) provides a comprehensive data set on the health and well-being of adults in six low and middle-income countries: China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russian Federation and South Africa.

Objectives: To obtain reliable, valid and comparable health, health-related and well-being data over a range of key domains for adult and older adult populations in nationally representative samples To examine patterns and dynamics of age-related changes in health and well-being using longitudinal follow-up of a cohort as they age, and to investigate socio-economic consequences of these health changes To supplement and cross-validate self-reported measures of health and the anchoring vignette approach to improving comparability of self-reported measures, through measured performance tests for selected health domains To collect health examination and biomarker data that improves reliability of morbidity and risk factor data and to objectively monitor the effect of interventions

Additional Objectives: To generate large cohorts of older adult populations and comparison cohorts of younger populations for following-up intermediate outcomes, monitoring trends, examining transitions and life events, and addressing relationships between determinants and health, well-being and health-related outcomes To develop a mechanism to link survey data to demographic surveillance site data To build linkages with other national and multi-country ageing studies To improve the methodologies to enhance the reliability and validity of health outcomes and determinants data To provide a public-access information base to engage all stakeholders, including national policy makers and health systems planners, in planning and decision-making processes about the health and well-being of older adults

Methods: SAGE's first full round of data collection included both follow-up and new respondents in most participating countries. The goal of the sampling design was to obtain a nationally representative cohort of persons aged 50 years and older, with a smaller cohort of persons aged 18 to 49 for comparison purposes. In the older households, all persons aged 50+ years (for example, spouses and siblings) were invited to participate. Proxy respondents were identified for respondents who were unable to respond for themselves. Standardized SAGE survey instruments were used in all countries consisting of five main parts: 1) household questionnaire; 2) individual questionnaire; 3) proxy questionnaire; 4) verbal autopsy questionnaire; and, 5) appendices including showcards. A VAQ was completed for deaths in the household over the last 24 months. The procedures for including country-specific adaptations to the standardized questionnaire and translations into local languages from English follow those developed by and used for the World Health Survey.

Content: - Household questionnaire 0000 Coversheet 0100 Sampling Information 0200 Geocoding and GPS Information 0300 Recontact Information 0350 Contact Record 0400 Household Roster 0450 Kish Tables and Household Consent 0500 Housing 0600 Household and Family Support Networks and Transfers 0700 Assets and Household Income 0800 Household Expenditures 0900 Interviewer Observations

• Verbal Autopsy questionnaire Section 1: Information on the Deceased and Date/Place of Death Section 1A7: Vital Registration and Certification Section 2: Information on the Respondent Section 3A: Medical History Associated with Final Illness Section 3B: General Signs and Symptoms Associated with Final Illness Section 3E: History of Injuries/Accidents Section 3G: Health Service Utilization Section 4: Background Section 5A: Interviewer Observations

• Individual questionnaire 1000 Socio-Demographic Characteristics 1500 Work History and Benefits 2000 Health State Descriptions 2500 Anthropometrics, Performance Tests and Biomarkers 3000 Risk Factors and Preventive Health Behaviours 4000 Chronic Conditions and Health Services Coverage 5000 Health Care Utilisation 6000 Social Networks 7000 Subjective Well-Being and Quality of Life (WHOQoL-8 and Day Reconstruction Method) 8000 Impact of Caregiving 9000 Interviewer Assessment

• Proxy Questionnaire Section1 Respondent Characteristics and IQ CODE Section2 Health State Descriptions Section4 Chronic Conditions and Health Services Coverage Section5 Health Care Utilisation

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

households and individuals

Universe

The household section of the survey covered all households in 31 of the 32 federal states in Mexico. Colima was excluded. Institutionalised populations are excluded. The individual section covered all persons aged 18 years and older residing within individual households. As the focus of SAGE is older adults, a much larger sample of respondents aged 50 years and older was selected with a smaller comparative sample of respondents aged 18-49 years.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

In Mexico strata were defined by locality (metropolitan, urban, rural). All 211 PSUs selected for wave 1 were included in the wave 2 sample. A sub-sample of 211 PSUs was selected from the 797 WHS PSUs for the wave 1 sample. The Basic Geo-Statistical Areas (AGEB) defined by the National Institute of Statistics (INEGI) constitutes a PSU. PSUs were selected probability proportional to three factors: a) (WHS/SAGE Wave 0 50plus): number of WHS/SAGE Wave 0 50-plus interviewed at the PSU, b) (State Population): population of the state to which the PSU belongs, c) (WHS/SAGE Wave 0 PSU at county): number of PSUs selected from the county to which the PSU belongs for the WHS/SAGE Wave 0 The first and third factors were included to reduce geographic dispersion. Factor two affords states with larger populations a greater chance of selection.

All WHS/SAGE Wave 0 individuals aged 50 years or older in the selected rural or urban PSUs and a random sample 90% of individuals aged 50 years or older in metropolitan PSUs who had been interviewed for the WHS/SAGE Wave 0 were included in the SAGE Wave 1 ''primary'' sample. The remaining 10% of WHS/SAGE Wave 0 individuals aged 50 years or older in metropolitan areas were then allocated as a ''replacement'' sample for individuals who could not be contacted or did not consent to participate in SAGE Wave 1. A systematic sample of 1000 WHS/SAGE Wave 0 individuals aged 18-49 across all selected PSUs was selected as the ''primary'' sample and 500 as a ''replacement'' sample.

This selection process resulted in a sample which had an over-representation of individuals from metropolitan strata; therefore, it was decided to increase the number of individuals aged 50 years or older from rural and urban strata. This was achieved by including individuals who had not been part of WHS/SAGE Wave 0 (which became a ''supplementary'' sample), although the household in which they lived included an individual from WHS/SAGE Wave 0. All individuals aged 50 or over were included from rural and urban ''18-49 households'' (that is, where an individual aged 18-49 was included in WHS/SAGE Wave 0) as part of the ''primary supplementary'' sample. A systematic random sample of individuals aged 50 years or older was then obtained from urban and rural households where an individual had already been selected as part of the 50 years and older or 18-49 samples. These individuals then formed part of the ''primary supplementary'' sample and the remainder (that is, those not systematically selected) were allocated to the ''replacement supplementary'' sample. Thus, all individuals aged 50 years or older who lived in households in urban and rural PSUs obtained for SAGE Wave 1 were selected as either a primary or replacement participant. A final ''replacement'' sample for the 50 and over age group was obtained from a systematic sample of all individuals aged 50 or over from households which included the individuals already selected for either the 50 and over or 18-49. This sampling strategy also provided participants who had not been included in WHS/SAGE Wave 0, but lived in a household where an individual had been part of WHS/SAGE Wave 0 (that is, the ''supplementary'' sample), in addition to follow-up of individuals who had been included in the WHS/SAGE Wave 0 sample.

Strata: Locality = 3 PSU: AGEBs = 211 SSU: Households = 6549 surveyed TSU: Individual = 6342 surveyed

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f], CAPI

Research instrument

The questionnaires were based on the SAGE Wave 1 Questionnaires with some modification and new additions, except for verbal autopsy. SAGE Wave 2 used the 2012 version of the WHO Verbal Autopsy Questionnare. SAGE Wave 1 used an adapted version of the Sample Vital Registration iwth Verbal Autopsy (SAVVY) questionnaire. A Household questionnaire was administered to all households eligible for the study. A Verbal Autopsy questionnaire was administered to 50 plus households only. In follow-up 50 plus household if the death occured since the last wave of the study and in a new 50 plus household if the death occurred in the

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