It is expected that there will be a higher proportion of older people than young people in many countries in the future. Do you think it is a positive or negative development?

It is expected that there will be a higher proportion of older people than young people in many countries in the future. Do you think it is a positive or negative development?

The percentage of older people is expected to be increasingly higher around the globe in the future, which will impact our society positively and negatively.

On the one hand, a higher proportion of older people will benefit both individuals and societies. In the micro sense, younger people can have more access to employment and have higher possibilities to get promotions during their careers in the context of population aging. Meanwhile, the elderly, accounting for a larger proportion, can get more attention from their family and society than in the past, which is helpful to reduce their feelings of loneliness. And they will find it easier to participate in some activities targeting the old. In the macro sense, population aging means the birth rate will decline significantly, which will help release the stress concerning overpopulation.

However, every coin has two sides, and the aging population also brings amounts of problems to human society. The retirement age will be further delayed for a higher percentage of older people, indicating that the time we spend on working through our entire life will be prolonged to a great extent. Meanwhile, younger people will be more stressed about supporting the elderly under that circumstance. In the larger picture, population aging also causes many social problems. For example, it will result in a shortage of labour, which will subsequently damage economic conditions. Increasing numbers of older people can also raise the issue of what the governments can do to allocate limited medical resources more properly. In addition, a larger proportion of the old means the governments have to invest more revenue in pensions, creating a barrier to quicker financial growth.

In my opinion, the development of population aging has a two-side effect on human society, and the governments should make some policies to mitigate the negative ones.