A World Growing Old

The world’s population is ageing. Decade by decade, people are living longer than they ever have before. For rich countries in the west, the problems are obvious - economies rely on youthful populations to provide for those who have retired. As the population ages, we face a profound economic and social crisis - how do we care for the elderly when pensions and social security systems are under threat, housing is short and fewer young people are entering the workplace? There are anxieties at the highest level in the US, that an ageing population may make the country forfeit its image of youthful dynamism, as new creative generations come of ageing in the South.Yet this is only half the story. Populations in the poorer countries of the South are also ageing. Life-expectancy has increased due to the availability of life-saving medicine. Child mortality has decreased, so people are having smaller families. India will soon have one fo the largest populations of over-sixties. The one-child policy in China will similarly lead to a severe imbalance in the age-profile of the people.Here, Jeremy Seabrook examines the real implications of the ageing phenomenon and challenges our preconcepti