Healthcare
Charted: The World’s Aging Population from 1950 to 2100
Charted: The World’s Aging Population from 1950 to 2100
As demographics continue to shift in the 21st century, the world’s aging population will continue to be a focal point for many global decision makers.
Most countries around the world have experienced population explosions, or are about to. Combine this with declining birth rates and falling mortality rates, and it’s clear that the global senior population will continue to reach new heights.
These graphics by Pablo Alvarez use data from the 2022 UN World Population Prospects to visualize this increasing aging population across countries.
The World’s Aging Population from 1950 to 2100
In 2022, there were 771 million people aged 65+ years globally, accounting for almost 10% of the world’s population.
This segment has been growing at an increasing rate, and it’s expected to hit 16% in 2050, and eventually 24% by 2100. Here’s what that’s projected to look like, for every country and territory.
Country by Population Aged +65 Years | 1950 | 2022 | 2100 |
---|---|---|---|
🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 2.85% | 2.39% | 16.03% |
🇦🇱 Albania | 6.04% | 16.66% | 49.08% |
🇩🇿 Algeria | 3.49% | 6.39% | 28.83% |
🇦🇸 American Samoa | 2.38% | 7.27% | 45.41% |
🇦🇩 Andorra | 10.02% | 14.98% | 37.04% |
🇦🇴 Angola | 2.93% | 2.6% | 12.07% |
🇦🇮 Anguilla | 3.69% | 10.71% | 37.49% |
🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda | 4.14% | 10.63% | 35.4% |
🇦🇷 Argentina | 4.13% | 11.92% | 31.79% |
🇦🇲 Armenia | 8.17% | 13.15% | 36.13% |
🇦🇼 Aruba | 1.77% | 16.15% | 36.51% |
🇦🇺 Australia | 8.17% | 16.9% | 31.38% |
🇦🇹 Austria | 10.42% | 19.81% | 33.93% |
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | 6.89% | 7.11% | 30.5% |
🇧🇸 Bahamas | 4.76% | 8.89% | 29.58% |
🇧🇭 Bahrain | 2.88% | 3.76% | 21.89% |
🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 3.9% | 6.04% | 32.56% |
🇧🇧 Barbados | 5.24% | 16.28% | 33.19% |
🇧🇾 Belarus | 8.24% | 17.18% | 30.45% |
🇧🇪 Belgium | 11.03% | 19.73% | 32.83% |
🇧🇿 Belize | 3.57% | 5.09% | 29.21% |
🇧🇯 Benin | 7.85% | 3.06% | 11.03% |
🇧🇲 Bermuda | 5.71% | 20.41% | 37.73% |
🇧🇹 Bhutan | 2.53% | 6.25% | 33.35% |
🇧🇴 Bolivia | 6.11% | 4.85% | 21.75% |
🇧🇶 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba | 14.22% | 13.84% | 28.94% |
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3.95% | 18.4% | 36.4% |
🇧🇼 Botswana | 4.32% | 3.65% | 17.96% |
🇧🇷 Brazil | 2.39% | 9.88% | 33.52% |
🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands | 8.63% | 9.95% | 32.47% |
🇧🇳 Brunei | 4.85% | 6.17% | 30.93% |
🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 6.66% | 22.38% | 37.13% |
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | 2.01% | 2.53% | 13.07% |
🇧🇮 Burundi | 3.22% | 2.48% | 13.23% |
🇰🇭 Cambodia | 2.67% | 5.81% | 26.43% |
🇨🇲 Cameroon | 3.47% | 2.67% | 11.89% |
🇨🇦 Canada | 7.7% | 19.03% | 31.55% |
🇨🇻 Cape Verde | 3.67% | 5.55% | 32.63% |
🇰🇾 Cayman Islands | 6.05% | 8.17% | 28.75% |
🇨🇫 Central African Republic | 5.% | 2.51% | 11.43% |
🇹🇩 Chad | 4.33% | 2.01% | 9.64% |
🇨🇱 Chile | 3.3% | 13.03% | 36.61% |
🇨🇳 China | 5.04% | 13.72% | 40.93% |
🇨🇴 Colombia | 3.22% | 9.% | 34.49% |
🇰🇲 Comoros | 3.8% | 4.28% | 17.81% |
🇨🇬 Congo | 3.36% | 2.72% | 11.99% |
🇨🇰 Cook Islands | 2.94% | 11.73% | 29.75% |
🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 2.97% | 10.83% | 36.99% |
🇨🇮 Cote d'Ivoire | 2.21% | 2.4% | 10.86% |
🇭🇷 Croatia | 7.82% | 22.36% | 37.03% |
🇨🇺 Cuba | 4.36% | 15.81% | 36.31% |
🇨🇼 Curacao | 5.82% | 14.95% | 30.46% |
🇨🇾 Cyprus | 5.95% | 14.83% | 33.36% |
🇨🇿 Czechia | 8.29% | 20.64% | 26.94% |
🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of Congo | 3.77% | 2.92% | 10.62% |
🇩🇰 Denmark | 9.04% | 20.49% | 30.45% |
🇩🇯 Djibouti | 1.99% | 4.54% | 19.68% |
🇩🇲 Dominica | 7.67% | 9.53% | 34.28% |
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 2.72% | 7.4% | 30.47% |
🇪🇨 Ecuador | 5.2% | 7.83% | 31.97% |
🇪🇬 Egypt | 2.95% | 4.83% | 21.77% |
🇸🇻 El Salvador | 3.93% | 8.22% | 36.02% |
🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | 5.53% | 3.12% | 15.13% |
🇪🇷 Eritrea | 3.2% | 4.01% | 19.86% |
🇪🇪 Estonia | 10.56% | 20.58% | 34.15% |
🇸🇿 Eswatini | 2.68% | 4.% | 16.26% |
🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 3.01% | 3.14% | 18.6% |
🇫🇴 Faeroe Islands | 7.59% | 17.92% | 26.91% |
🇫🇰 Falkland Islands | 8.27% | 11.08% | 35.86% |
🇫🇯 Fiji | 5.99% | 5.9% | 20.6% |
🇫🇮 Finland | 6.63% | 23.27% | 34.04% |
🇫🇷 France | 11.39% | 21.66% | 34.23% |
🇬🇫 French Guiana | 7.96% | 5.98% | 21.13% |
🇵🇫 French Polynesia | 3.% | 10.07% | 37.85% |
🇬🇦 Gabon | 7.21% | 3.89% | 16.25% |
🇬🇲 Gambia | 2.5% | 2.43% | 16.06% |
🇬🇪 Georgia | 9.35% | 14.61% | 31.19% |
🇩🇪 Germany | 9.46% | 22.41% | 33.72% |
🇬🇭 Ghana | 4.62% | 3.55% | 15.91% |
🇬🇮 Gibraltar | 6.94% | 20.84% | 37.63% |
🇬🇷 Greece | 6.8% | 22.82% | 37.52% |
🇬🇱 Greenland | 3.06% | 10.02% | 29.16% |
🇬🇩 Grenada | 5.12% | 10.07% | 30.54% |
🇬🇵 Guadeloupe | 5.51% | 20.04% | 34.45% |
🇬🇺 Guam | 1.11% | 11.84% | 31.19% |
🇬🇹 Guatemala | 2.31% | 4.91% | 28.05% |
🇬🇬 Guernsey | 11.96% | 16.64% | 35.4% |
🇬🇳 Guinea | 5.39% | 3.32% | 14.% |
🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau | 3.45% | 2.82% | 14.34% |
🇬🇾 Guyana | 3.89% | 6.28% | 28.94% |
🇭🇹 Haiti | 3.64% | 4.54% | 19.07% |
🇭🇳 Honduras | 3.96% | 4.27% | 26.5% |
🇭🇰 Hong Kong | 2.48% | 20.47% | 41.64% |
🇭🇺 Hungary | 7.81% | 20.01% | 31.85% |
🇮🇸 Iceland | 7.52% | 15.33% | 34.25% |
🇮🇳 India | 3.1% | 6.9% | 29.81% |
🇮🇩 Indonesia | 1.74% | 6.86% | 25.28% |
🇮🇷 Iran | 5.22% | 7.62% | 33.72% |
🇮🇶 Iraq | 2.79% | 3.41% | 18.44% |
🇮🇪 Ireland | 10.99% | 15.14% | 32.48% |
🇮🇲 Isle of Man | 13.9% | 22.29% | 31.8% |
🇮🇱 Israel | 4.% | 12.04% | 25.97% |
🇮🇹 Italy | 8.09% | 24.05% | 38.19% |
🇯🇲 Jamaica | 3.83% | 7.45% | 44.05% |
🇯🇵 Japan | 4.89% | 29.92% | 38.7% |
🇯🇪 Jersey | 12.34% | 16.22% | 30.52% |
🇯🇴 Jordan | 5.03% | 3.84% | 27.3% |
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 6.47% | 8.04% | 19.58% |
🇰🇪 Kenya | 5.28% | 2.87% | 16.98% |
🇰🇮 Kiribati | 7.13% | 3.81% | 17.33% |
🇽🇰 Kosovo | 5.33% | 10.19% | 43.35% |
🇰🇼 Kuwait | 2.88% | 4.93% | 31.56% |
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | 7.91% | 4.54% | 21.08% |
🇱🇦 Laos | 2.13% | 4.45% | 25.24% |
🇱🇻 Latvia | 10.12% | 21.86% | 32.86% |
🇱🇧 Lebanon | 7.24% | 9.89% | 32.11% |
🇱🇸 Lesotho | 6.34% | 4.2% | 13.44% |
🇱🇷 Liberia | 2.97% | 3.31% | 13.88% |
🇱🇾 Libya | 5.21% | 4.86% | 27.77% |
🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | 7.89% | 19.37% | 34.79% |
🇱🇹 Lithuania | 8.65% | 20.8% | 32.79% |
🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 9.71% | 15.03% | 31.55% |
🇲🇴 Macao | 3.11% | 13.% | 32.39% |
🇲🇬 Madagascar | 3.25% | 3.35% | 16.21% |
🇲🇼 Malawi | 3.06% | 2.61% | 15.61% |
🇲🇾 Malaysia | 4.91% | 7.5% | 30.78% |
🇲🇻 Maldives | 3.14% | 4.78% | 35.61% |
🇲🇱 Mali | 2.78% | 2.38% | 11.% |
🇲🇹 Malta | 7.42% | 19.13% | 38.26% |
🇲🇭 Marshall Islands | 5.68% | 4.56% | 17.8% |
🇲🇶 Martinique | 5.85% | 22.77% | 37.31% |
🇲🇷 Mauritania | 1.44% | 3.22% | 15.03% |
🇲🇺 Mauritius | 3.18% | 12.79% | 33.76% |
🇾🇹 Mayotte | 6.61% | 2.88% | 18.15% |
🇲🇽 Mexico | 2.99% | 8.32% | 34.88% |
🇫🇲 Micronesia (country) | 4.11% | 6.16% | 27.59% |
🇲🇩 Moldova | 7.56% | 12.98% | 26.36% |
🇲🇨 Monaco | 15.64% | 35.92% | 30.16% |
🇲🇳 Mongolia | 3.87% | 4.61% | 26.18% |
🇲🇪 Montenegro | 7.85% | 16.55% | 34.16% |
🇲🇸 Montserrat | 7.92% | 17.7% | 33.05% |
🇲🇦 Morocco | 2.86% | 7.72% | 29.97% |
🇲🇿 Mozambique | 3.13% | 2.57% | 13.43% |
🇲🇲 Myanmar | 3.21% | 6.82% | 23.69% |
🇳🇦 Namibia | 4.1% | 3.97% | 15.38% |
🇳🇷 Nauru | 8.98% | 2.5% | 15.87% |
🇳🇵 Nepal | 2.74% | 6.09% | 29.51% |
🇳🇱 Netherlands | 7.76% | 20.31% | 32.89% |
🇳🇨 New Caledonia | 5.% | 11.02% | 31.61% |
🇳🇿 New Zealand | 9.09% | 16.31% | 33.2% |
🇳🇮 Nicaragua | 2.71% | 5.29% | 28.92% |
🇳🇪 Niger | .92% | 2.4% | 9.76% |
🇳🇬 Nigeria | 3.% | 2.97% | 12.31% |
🇳🇺 Niue | 4.79% | 15.16% | 22.55% |
🇰🇵 North Korea | 2.72% | 11.71% | 30.49% |
🇲🇰 North Macedonia | 5.87% | 14.91% | 36.56% |
🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands | 2.95% | 10.81% | 32.09% |
🇳🇴 Norway | 9.52% | 18.44% | 31.65% |
🇴🇲 Oman | 3.05% | 2.76% | 23.96% |
🇵🇰 Pakistan | 5.48% | 4.27% | 17.23% |
🇵🇼 Palau | 8.59% | 9.93% | 21.48% |
🇵🇸 Palestine | 4.77% | 3.53% | 23.44% |
🇵🇦 Panama | 3.57% | 8.77% | 30.03% |
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea | 1.09% | 3.19% | 16.81% |
🇵🇾 Paraguay | 3.73% | 6.26% | 26.51% |
🇵🇪 Peru | 3.43% | 8.41% | 30.33% |
🇵🇭 Philippines | 3.56% | 5.44% | 23.38% |
🇵🇱 Poland | 5.22% | 18.55% | 35.69% |
🇵🇹 Portugal | 7.% | 22.9% | 36.28% |
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | 3.63% | 22.93% | 48.9% |
🇶🇦 Qatar | 3.5% | 1.52% | 15.01% |
🇷🇪 Reunion | 3.81% | 13.28% | 32.4% |
🇷🇴 Romania | 7.16% | 18.64% | 32.22% |
🇷🇺 Russia | 4.8% | 15.8% | 27.86% |
🇷🇼 Rwanda | 2.76% | 3.2% | 17.36% |
🇧🇱 Saint Barthlemy | 7.3% | 10.61% | 43.89% |
🇸🇭 Saint Helena | 8.63% | 28.66% | 32.61% |
🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis | 5.36% | 10.13% | 29.79% |
🇱🇨 Saint Lucia | 3.59% | 9.23% | 33.39% |
🇲🇫 Saint Martin (French part) | 4.47% | 11.14% | 30.08% |
🇵🇲 Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 6.34% | 17.32% | 33.4% |
🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 7.71% | 10.86% | 32.34% |
🇼🇸 Samoa | 2.52% | 5.22% | 18.75% |
🇸🇲 San Marino | 10.15% | 20.47% | 35.73% |
🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe | 3.92% | 3.76% | 15.6% |
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 3.32% | 2.81% | 30.28% |
🇸🇳 Senegal | 3.42% | 3.14% | 16.54% |
🇷🇸 Serbia | 6.15% | 20.56% | 37.55% |
🇸🇨 Seychelles | 10.68% | 8.16% | 28.84% |
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | 3.02% | 3.14% | 15.52% |
🇸🇬 Singapore | 2.29% | 15.12% | 36.51% |
🇸🇽 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 12.03% | 10.57% | 34.51% |
🇸🇰 Slovakia | 6.63% | 16.98% | 33.4% |
🇸🇮 Slovenia | 7.52% | 20.96% | 33.59% |
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | 4.03% | 3.47% | 15.29% |
🇸🇴 Somalia | 2.6% | 2.57% | 10.75% |
🇿🇦 South Africa | 4.06% | 5.89% | 20.55% |
🇰🇷 South Korea | 2.74% | 17.49% | 44.44% |
🇸🇸 South Sudan | 3.48% | 2.89% | 13.11% |
🇪🇸 Spain | 7.23% | 20.27% | 38.72% |
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 8.76% | 11.54% | 35.73% |
🇸🇩 Sudan | 3.03% | 3.5% | 13.28% |
🇸🇷 Suriname | 4.09% | 7.39% | 25.8% |
🇸🇪 Sweden | 10.19% | 20.25% | 31.83% |
🇨🇭 Switzerland | 9.49% | 19.31% | 32.61% |
🇸🇾 Syria | 7.66% | 4.68% | 24.62% |
🇹🇼 Taiwan | 2.11% | 16.71% | 37.32% |
🇹🇯 Tajikistan | 4.34% | 3.47% | 19.43% |
🇹🇿 Tanzania | 2.2% | 3.1% | 14.97% |
🇹🇭 Thailand | 3.21% | 15.21% | 39.17% |
🇹🇱 Timor | 3.14% | 5.21% | 25.42% |
🇹🇬 Togo | 4.29% | 3.13% | 11.77% |
🇹🇰 Tokelau | 4.7% | 8.66% | 25.03% |
🇹🇴 Tonga | 4.6% | 6.22% | 21.65% |
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | 3.93% | 11.52% | 32.67% |
🇹🇳 Tunisia | 4.4% | 9.02% | 31.24% |
🇹🇷 Turkey | 3.77% | 8.64% | 33.9% |
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan | 5.84% | 5.15% | 21.55% |
🇹🇨 Turks and Caicos Islands | 5.79% | 10.34% | 28.25% |
🇹🇻 Tuvalu | 4.98% | 6.48% | 16.15% |
🇺🇬 Uganda | 2.87% | 1.69% | 14.33% |
🇺🇦 Ukraine | 7.54% | 18.81% | 33.2% |
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 3.35% | 1.83% | 15.77% |
🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 10.84% | 19.17% | 32.56% |
🇺🇸 United States | 8.18% | 17.13% | 30.47% |
🇻🇮 United States Virgin Islands | 7.54% | 20.42% | 39.11% |
🇺🇾 Uruguay | 8.23% | 15.58% | 35.98% |
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | 5.87% | 5.14% | 22.24% |
🇻🇺 Vanuatu | 5.65% | 3.74% | 16.29% |
🇻🇪 Venezuela | 2.29% | 8.61% | 27.71% |
🇻🇳 Vietnam | 4.13% | 9.12% | 30.02% |
🇼🇫 Wallis and Futuna | 1.76% | 13.47% | 32.98% |
🇪🇭 Western Sahara | 2.82% | 5.84% | 23.73% |
🇾🇪 Yemen | 3.98% | 2.66% | 18.25% |
🇿🇲 Zambia | 2.76% | 1.75% | 12.66% |
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | 3.18% | 3.32% | 14.22% |
🌐 World | 5.13% | 9.82% | 24.03% |
Some of the places with high elderly shares today include high-income countries like Japan (30%), Italy (24%), and Finland (23%).
The lowest shares are concentrated in the Middle East and Africa. Many countries have just 2% of their population aged 65 years and older, such as Qatar, Uganda, and Afghanistan.
But over time, almost all countries are expected to see their older population segments grow. In just three decades, it is estimated that one-in-four European, North American, and Asian residents will be over 65 years of age.
By 2100, a variety of Asian countries and island nations facing low population growth are expected to see more than one-third of their populations aged 65 years or older, including South Korea and Jamaica at 44%. However, it’s actually Albania that’s the biggest outlier overall, with a projected 49% of its population to be aged 65 and older by 2100.
Passing the Generational Torch
The challenge of an aging population is set to impact all sectors of society, including labor and financial markets, demand for housing and transportation, and especially family structures and intergenerational ties.
One way to help grasp the nature of transition is to note the changing ratio between seniors and young children in the world population, as seen in the below crossover diagram:
Dropping fertility rates, in addition to improved child and infant mortality rates, are known to have played a major role in the plateauing population of children.
However, not all countries have witnessed this crossover yet, as it usually coincides with higher levels of economic development.
As countries such as India, Brazil, and South Africa reach higher levels of per capita income, they will be likely to follow down the paths of more advanced economies, eventually experiencing similar demographic fates and challenges.
This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.
Healthcare
Which Countries Are the Healthiest in 2024?
The world’s two healthiest countries are home to ‘blue zones’, where the centenarian population is 10 times higher per capita than America.
Which Countries Are the Healthiest in 2024?
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
The health of nations is shaped by many interconnected factors, from healthcare system quality to lifestyle and diet.
Although challenging to quantify, a common metric for assessing a population’s overall health is average life expectancy. Other important indicators include child mortality rates and access to food and sanitation. These factors collectively provide a clearer understanding of what contributes to a nation’s health, which in turn is shown to correlate with GDP, individual spending, labor productivity.
This graphic shows the healthiest countries across the world’s major economies, based on analysis from Ray Dalio’s Great Powers Index 2024.
Ranked: The Healthiest Countries Worldwide
Below, we rank the health of 24 leading nations in 2024. These figures are represented by z-scores, where the number represents how many standard deviations a country is above or below the average.
Rank | Country | Health Index Score |
---|---|---|
1 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 2.45 |
2 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 2.42 |
3 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 2.34 |
4 | 🇪🇸 Spain | 2.31 |
5 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 2.3 |
6 | 🇬🇧 UK | 2.29 |
7 | 🇦🇺 Australia | 2.27 |
8 | 🇮🇹 Italy | 2.22 |
9 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 2.21 |
10 | 🇫🇷 France | 2.19 |
11 | 🇪🇺 Eurozone | 2.15 |
12 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 2.13 |
13 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 2.06 |
14 | 🇺🇸 U.S. | 1.33 |
15 | 🇨🇳 China | 1.27 |
16 | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 1.14 |
17 | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 0.88 |
18 | 🇹🇷 Türkiye | 0.66 |
19 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 0.29 |
20 | 🇷🇺 Russia | 0.04 |
21 | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 0.04 |
22 | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | -0.36 |
23 | 🇮🇳 India | -1.41 |
24 | 🇿🇦 South Africa | -1.73 |
Singapore, the top-ranking nation, has recently been identified as a “blue zone,” where the population of centenarians is 10 times higher per capita than in America.
The government’s initiatives to encourage walkability—through taxation on vehicles, fuel, and road use—along with tax benefits for those living near their parents or children, likely contribute to the country’s increased life expectancy.
Japan ranks second, with one of the highest average life expectancies globally. More than half of women born in 2023 are expected to live to age 90. Like Singapore, Japan is home to a blue zone, particularly in Okinawa. Residents here embrace a strong sense of purpose, known as “ikigai,” alongside strong social support networks.
Following next is Switzerland, likely influenced by economic stability, low obesity rates, and the highest life expectancy in Europe. In 2023, average life expectancy stood at 85.8 for women and 82.2 for men. The country also has the best access to healthcare across rich countries.
The U.S. ranks 13th overall, sitting in the middle of the pack. Despite high healthcare spending per capita—at $12,600 in 2022—it falls behind in life expectancy and other critical health outcomes.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about this topic from a happiness perspective, check on this graphic showing leading economies by happiness measures.
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