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How Does the COVID Delta Variant Compare?

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How Does the COVID Delta Variant Compare

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How Does the COVID Delta Variant Compare?

In late 2020, a variant of COVID-19 was detected in India that began to quickly spread.

Soon after it received the label โ€œDelta,โ€ it started to become the predominant strain of COVID-19 in countries of transmission. It spread faster than both the original disease and other variants, including โ€œAlphaโ€ that had taken hold in the UK.

Now the COVID-19 pandemic has essentially become the Delta pandemic, as the variant accounts for more than 90% of global cases.

But how does the COVID-19 Delta variant differ from the original disease? We consolidated studies as of September 2021 to highlight key differences between COVID-19 and the dominant variant. Sources include the CDC, Yale Medicine, and the University of California.

COVID-19 vs COVID-19 Delta Variant

At first glance, infections caused by the Delta variant are similar to the original COVID-19 disease. Symptoms reported from patients include cough, fever, headache, and a loss of smell.

But studies showed that the difference was in how quickly and severely patients got sick:

  • Spread rate: How quickly the infection spreads in a community (based on the R0 or basic reproductive number). The Delta variant spread 125% faster than the original disease, making it potentially as infectious as chickenpox.
  • Viral load: How much of a virus is detectable in an infected personโ€™s blood, with higher loads correlating with more severe infections. Delta infections had a 1000x higher viral load.
  • Virus detectable: How long after exposure a virus is detectable in an infected personโ€™s blood. Delta infections were found to be detectable four days after exposure, faster than the original disease (six days).
  • Infectious period: How long an infected person has the capability to pass on the virus to other people, from the first time they were exposed. Delta infections were contagious for longer than traditional COVID-19 infections, at 18 days compared to 13 days.
  • Risk of hospitalization: How much more or less likely is an infection going to require hospitalization for treatment? Infections caused by the Delta variant were twice as likely to cause hospitalization compared to the original disease.

One other important finding from studies was that the existing COVID-19 vaccines helped against Delta infections.

The CDC found that approved vaccines reduced the rate of infection by 5x and the rate of hospitalization by 29x in a breakthrough case. They also found that overall efficacy against infection can wane over time, however, and at-risk people might require a booster vaccine.

What About Other COVID-19 Variants?

Delta is just one of many COVID-19 variants tracked by health officials, but itโ€™s the one we know the most about.

Thatโ€™s because reliable statistics and information on diseases requires thousands of cases for comparisons. We know a lot about Delta (and the once-dominant UK strain Alpha) because of how widespread they became, but there havenโ€™t been enough cases of other variants to reliably assess differences.

As of September 2021, WHO was tracking 20 COVID-19 variants around the world with different classifications based on potential severity:

  • 14 Variants under monitoring (VUM): Variants that are deemed to not pose a major global health risk, or no longer pose one.
  • 2 Variants of Interest (VOI): Variants that affect transmissibility, virulence, mutation, and other virus characteristics, and are spreading in clusters.
  • 4 Variants of Concern (VOC): Have similar characteristics to VOI but are further associated with a global risk.

Most of the current variants of interest and concern were first identified and labeled in late 2020, though 2021 variants are showing up as well.

LabelDesignationDocumented OriginEarliest Identified Date
AlphaVariant of ConcernUKSeptember 2020
BetaVariant of ConcernSouth AfricaMay 2020
GammaVariant of ConcernBrazilNovember 2020
DeltaVariant of ConcernIndiaOctober 2020
LambdaVariant of InterestPeruDecember 2020
MuVariant of InterestColombiaJanuary 2021

Should you be worried about all of these variants? For the most part, a lack of cases to provide clear information also reflects that theyโ€™re equivalent to or weaker than traditional COVID-19 infections.

But itโ€™s important to note that our understanding of diseases and variants becomes more nuanced and accurate over time. As research continues over a longer timeline and over a wider database of cases, expect information on COVID-19 variants (and any disease) to become more concrete.

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Countries

Charted: The Worldโ€™s Aging Population from 1950 to 2100

This graphic visualizes the worldโ€™s aging population, showing data for every country and territory around the world.

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Charted: The Worldโ€™s Aging Population from 1950 to 2100

As demographics continue to shift in the 21st century, the worldโ€™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 Worldโ€™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 Years195020222100
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ซ Afghanistan2.85%2.39%16.03%
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Albania6.04%16.66%49.08%
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Algeria3.49%6.39%28.83%
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ธ American Samoa2.38%7.27%45.41%
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฉ Andorra10.02%14.98%37.04%
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ด Angola2.93%2.6%12.07%
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฎ Anguilla3.69%10.71%37.49%
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Antigua and Barbuda4.14%10.63%35.4%
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ท Argentina4.13%11.92%31.79%
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Armenia8.17%13.15%36.13%
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ผ Aruba1.77%16.15%36.51%
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Australia8.17%16.9%31.38%
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡น Austria10.42%19.81%33.93%
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Azerbaijan6.89%7.11%30.5%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ธ Bahamas4.76%8.89%29.58%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ญ Bahrain2.88%3.76%21.89%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฉ Bangladesh3.9%6.04%32.56%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ง Barbados5.24%16.28%33.19%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡พ Belarus8.24%17.18%30.45%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช Belgium11.03%19.73%32.83%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฟ Belize3.57%5.09%29.21%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฏ Benin7.85%3.06%11.03%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฒ Bermuda5.71%20.41%37.73%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡น Bhutan2.53%6.25%33.35%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ด Bolivia6.11%4.85%21.75%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ถ Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba14.22%13.84%28.94%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฆ Bosnia and Herzegovina3.95%18.4%36.4%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ผ Botswana4.32%3.65%17.96%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท Brazil2.39%9.88%33.52%
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ฌ British Virgin Islands8.63%9.95%32.47%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ณ Brunei4.85%6.17%30.93%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฌ Bulgaria6.66%22.38%37.13%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ซ Burkina Faso2.01%2.53%13.07%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฎ Burundi3.22%2.48%13.23%
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ญ Cambodia2.67%5.81%26.43%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Cameroon3.47%2.67%11.89%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Canada7.7%19.03%31.55%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ป Cape Verde3.67%5.55%32.63%
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡พ Cayman Islands6.05%8.17%28.75%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ซ Central African Republic5.%2.51%11.43%
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฉ Chad4.33%2.01%9.64%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Chile3.3%13.03%36.61%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China5.04%13.72%40.93%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ด Colombia3.22%9.%34.49%
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Comoros3.8%4.28%17.81%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Congo3.36%2.72%11.99%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Cook Islands2.94%11.73%29.75%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ท Costa Rica2.97%10.83%36.99%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฎ Cote d'Ivoire2.21%2.4%10.86%
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท Croatia7.82%22.36%37.03%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡บ Cuba4.36%15.81%36.31%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ผ Curacao5.82%14.95%30.46%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡พ Cyprus5.95%14.83%33.36%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Czechia8.29%20.64%26.94%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฉ Democratic Republic of Congo3.77%2.92%10.62%
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Denmark9.04%20.49%30.45%
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฏ Djibouti1.99%4.54%19.68%
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Dominica7.67%9.53%34.28%
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ด Dominican Republic2.72%7.4%30.47%
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡จ Ecuador5.2%7.83%31.97%
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ฌ Egypt2.95%4.83%21.77%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ป El Salvador3.93%8.22%36.02%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ถ Equatorial Guinea5.53%3.12%15.13%
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ท Eritrea3.2%4.01%19.86%
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ช Estonia10.56%20.58%34.15%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Eswatini2.68%4.%16.26%
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡น Ethiopia3.01%3.14%18.6%
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ด Faeroe Islands7.59%17.92%26.91%
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Falkland Islands8.27%11.08%35.86%
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฏ Fiji5.99%5.9%20.6%
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎ Finland6.63%23.27%34.04%
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท France11.39%21.66%34.23%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ซ French Guiana7.96%5.98%21.13%
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ซ French Polynesia3.%10.07%37.85%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Gabon7.21%3.89%16.25%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Gambia2.5%2.43%16.06%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช Georgia9.35%14.61%31.19%
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Germany9.46%22.41%33.72%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ญ Ghana4.62%3.55%15.91%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฎ Gibraltar6.94%20.84%37.63%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท Greece6.8%22.82%37.52%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Greenland3.06%10.02%29.16%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฉ Grenada5.12%10.07%30.54%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ต Guadeloupe5.51%20.04%34.45%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡บ Guam1.11%11.84%31.19%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡น Guatemala2.31%4.91%28.05%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Guernsey11.96%16.64%35.4%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ณ Guinea5.39%3.32%14.%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ผ Guinea-Bissau3.45%2.82%14.34%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡พ Guyana3.89%6.28%28.94%
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡น Haiti3.64%4.54%19.07%
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ณ Honduras3.96%4.27%26.5%
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Hong Kong2.48%20.47%41.64%
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ Hungary7.81%20.01%31.85%
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ Iceland7.52%15.33%34.25%
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ India3.1%6.9%29.81%
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ Indonesia1.74%6.86%25.28%
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ท Iran5.22%7.62%33.72%
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ถ Iraq2.79%3.41%18.44%
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช Ireland10.99%15.14%32.48%
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Isle of Man13.9%22.29%31.8%
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Israel4.%12.04%25.97%
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Italy8.09%24.05%38.19%
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Jamaica3.83%7.45%44.05%
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Japan4.89%29.92%38.7%
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ช Jersey12.34%16.22%30.52%
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ด Jordan5.03%3.84%27.3%
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Kazakhstan6.47%8.04%19.58%
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ช Kenya5.28%2.87%16.98%
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฎ Kiribati7.13%3.81%17.33%
๐Ÿ‡ฝ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Kosovo5.33%10.19%43.35%
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ผ Kuwait2.88%4.93%31.56%
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Kyrgyzstan7.91%4.54%21.08%
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Laos2.13%4.45%25.24%
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ป Latvia10.12%21.86%32.86%
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ง Lebanon7.24%9.89%32.11%
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ Lesotho6.34%4.2%13.44%
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ท Liberia2.97%3.31%13.88%
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡พ Libya5.21%4.86%27.77%
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฎ Liechtenstein7.89%19.37%34.79%
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡น Lithuania8.65%20.8%32.79%
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡บ Luxembourg9.71%15.03%31.55%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ด Macao3.11%13.%32.39%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Madagascar3.25%3.35%16.21%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ผ Malawi3.06%2.61%15.61%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡พ Malaysia4.91%7.5%30.78%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ป Maldives3.14%4.78%35.61%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Mali2.78%2.38%11.%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡น Malta7.42%19.13%38.26%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ญ Marshall Islands5.68%4.56%17.8%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ถ Martinique5.85%22.77%37.31%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ท Mauritania1.44%3.22%15.03%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡บ Mauritius3.18%12.79%33.76%
๐Ÿ‡พ๐Ÿ‡น Mayotte6.61%2.88%18.15%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ Mexico2.99%8.32%34.88%
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Micronesia (country)4.11%6.16%27.59%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฉ Moldova7.56%12.98%26.36%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡จ Monaco15.64%35.92%30.16%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ณ Mongolia3.87%4.61%26.18%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ช Montenegro7.85%16.55%34.16%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ธ Montserrat7.92%17.7%33.05%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Morocco2.86%7.72%29.97%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Mozambique3.13%2.57%13.43%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Myanmar3.21%6.82%23.69%
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Namibia4.1%3.97%15.38%
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ท Nauru8.98%2.5%15.87%
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ต Nepal2.74%6.09%29.51%
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Netherlands7.76%20.31%32.89%
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡จ New Caledonia5.%11.02%31.61%
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ New Zealand9.09%16.31%33.2%
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฎ Nicaragua2.71%5.29%28.92%
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ช Niger.92%2.4%9.76%
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Nigeria3.%2.97%12.31%
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡บ Niue4.79%15.16%22.55%
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ต North Korea2.72%11.71%30.49%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฐ North Macedonia5.87%14.91%36.56%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ต Northern Mariana Islands2.95%10.81%32.09%
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด Norway9.52%18.44%31.65%
๐Ÿ‡ด๐Ÿ‡ฒ Oman3.05%2.76%23.96%
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐ Pakistan5.48%4.27%17.23%
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ผ Palau8.59%9.93%21.48%
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ธ Palestine4.77%3.53%23.44%
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฆ Panama3.57%8.77%30.03%
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฌ Papua New Guinea1.09%3.19%16.81%
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡พ Paraguay3.73%6.26%26.51%
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ช Peru3.43%8.41%30.33%
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ Philippines3.56%5.44%23.38%
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ Poland5.22%18.55%35.69%
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น Portugal7.%22.9%36.28%
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ท Puerto Rico3.63%22.93%48.9%
๐Ÿ‡ถ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Qatar3.5%1.52%15.01%
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ช Reunion3.81%13.28%32.4%
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ด Romania7.16%18.64%32.22%
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Russia4.8%15.8%27.86%
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ผ Rwanda2.76%3.2%17.36%
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฑ Saint Barthlemy7.3%10.61%43.89%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ญ Saint Helena8.63%28.66%32.61%
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ณ Saint Kitts and Nevis5.36%10.13%29.79%
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡จ Saint Lucia3.59%9.23%33.39%
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ซ Saint Martin (French part)4.47%11.14%30.08%
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฒ Saint Pierre and Miquelon6.34%17.32%33.4%
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡จ Saint Vincent and the Grenadines7.71%10.86%32.34%
๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ธ Samoa2.52%5.22%18.75%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฒ San Marino10.15%20.47%35.73%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡น Sao Tome and Principe3.92%3.76%15.6%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Saudi Arabia3.32%2.81%30.28%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ณ Senegal3.42%3.14%16.54%
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ Serbia6.15%20.56%37.55%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡จ Seychelles10.68%8.16%28.84%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Sierra Leone3.02%3.14%15.52%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Singapore2.29%15.12%36.51%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฝ Sint Maarten (Dutch part)12.03%10.57%34.51%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Slovakia6.63%16.98%33.4%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ Slovenia7.52%20.96%33.59%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ง Solomon Islands4.03%3.47%15.29%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ด Somalia2.6%2.57%10.75%
๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฆ South Africa4.06%5.89%20.55%
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท South Korea2.74%17.49%44.44%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ธ South Sudan3.48%2.89%13.11%
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ Spain7.23%20.27%38.72%
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Sri Lanka8.76%11.54%35.73%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฉ Sudan3.03%3.5%13.28%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท Suriname4.09%7.39%25.8%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช Sweden10.19%20.25%31.83%
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ Switzerland9.49%19.31%32.61%
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡พ Syria7.66%4.68%24.62%
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผ Taiwan2.11%16.71%37.32%
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฏ Tajikistan4.34%3.47%19.43%
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฟ Tanzania2.2%3.1%14.97%
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ญ Thailand3.21%15.21%39.17%
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฑ Timor3.14%5.21%25.42%
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฌ Togo4.29%3.13%11.77%
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฐ Tokelau4.7%8.66%25.03%
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ด Tonga4.6%6.22%21.65%
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡น Trinidad and Tobago3.93%11.52%32.67%
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ณ Tunisia4.4%9.02%31.24%
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท Turkey3.77%8.64%33.9%
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฒ Turkmenistan5.84%5.15%21.55%
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡จ Turks and Caicos Islands5.79%10.34%28.25%
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ป Tuvalu4.98%6.48%16.15%
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Uganda2.87%1.69%14.33%
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Ukraine7.54%18.81%33.2%
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ช United Arab Emirates3.35%1.83%15.77%
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง United Kingdom10.84%19.17%32.56%
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States8.18%17.13%30.47%
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ฎ United States Virgin Islands7.54%20.42%39.11%
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡พ Uruguay8.23%15.58%35.98%
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Uzbekistan5.87%5.14%22.24%
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡บ Vanuatu5.65%3.74%16.29%
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ช Venezuela2.29%8.61%27.71%
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ Vietnam4.13%9.12%30.02%
๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ซ Wallis and Futuna1.76%13.47%32.98%
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ญ Western Sahara2.82%5.84%23.73%
๐Ÿ‡พ๐Ÿ‡ช Yemen3.98%2.66%18.25%
๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Zambia2.76%1.75%12.66%
๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ Zimbabwe3.18%3.32%14.22%
๐ŸŒ World5.13%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:

Elderly population surpass that of children aged 5 and below

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.

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