State of the world's older people 2002
HelpAge International launches State of the world's older people 2002 on 8
April 2002 as the Second UN World Assembly on Ageing opens in Madrid.

This Assembly, the first UN global conference on ageing since 1982, will
agree an International Plan of Action on Ageing, setting the course of
international policy for the next 20 years.

Older people need to be heard
State of the world's older people reflects the views and experiences of
older people, as expressed in consultations during 2001 in 32 countries. It
also draws on 20 years of research carried out by HelpAge International and
its network of members and partners, covering Africa, Asia, the Caribbean,
Latin America and eastern and central Europe.

HelpAge International has brought a delegation of more than 50 older people
from some 30 countries to participate in the NGO Forum, which precedes the
World Assembly on Ageing in Madrid (5-9 April).

Rising numbers of older people
In the twenty years since the first UN World Assembly on Ageing in Vienna in
1982, ageing issues have become much more critical. HelpAge International's
report highlights the rapid growth in older populations, especially in the
developing world.

The proportion of people worldwide aged 60 years and older is now expected
to more than double, from 10 to 21 per cent, in the first half of the 21st
century. By 2050 the number of people over 60 is expected to equal the
number of children under 14.

Older women outnumber older men. In developing countries there are now 91
men for every 100 women over 60. By 2030 the gap will have widened to 86 men
to 100 women.

Poverty affects older people
Most older people in the developing world are already living in chronic
poverty, the report emphases. Over a quarter of a billion older people are
living on less than US$2 (about ?1.20) a day.

In developing countries, people work well into old age, and have no
pensions. In Asia, Africa and Latin America, at least half the population in
their sixties are economically active, about a third of people from 70-74
and a fifth of those over 75 are still working.

Older people also make contributions to their families and communities. They
continue to support their families as long as they can. For instance, in
sub-Saharan Africa, 8 million children orphaned by HIV/AIDS are being cared
for by older relatives.

Discrimination and abuse
Public services such as healthcare, HIV/AIDS programmes and social security
discriminate against older people. Worldwide, many older people, especially
older women, suffer isolation that can result in abuse and violence.

Most governments have yet to take on board the scale and implications of
population ageing. At national and international level, governments and aid
donors ignore older people's contributions and fail to provide adequate
resources to meet their needs.

Key challenges
The report analyses the key challenges that ageing populations pose in
Africa, Asia, Latin America and eastern and central Europe. It provides
global and regional statistical data on older people and a survey of the
policies on ageing adopted by national governments and donor
states/agencies.

The full report is available as a PDF in English and Spanish on
http://www.helpage.org
Paper copies in English and Spanish can be obtained from Caroline Dobbing
([email protected]) tel +44 (0)20 7278 7778

For further information contact Sarah Graham-Brown Tel: +44 20 7278 7778 ext
259 Email: [email][email protected]

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