May 2026
08May

Kazakhstan’s Population Is Aging Rapidly as Demographic Pressures Mount

Kazakhstan’s population is aging rapidly, with the number of elderly citizens growing significantly faster than the child population as birth rates continue to decline. According to a study by analysts at Energyprom.kz, the country’s aging index has been steadily rising. In 2021, Kazakhstan had 26.7 elderly people for every 100 children under the age of 15. By 2025, that figure had increased to 32.9. The data suggests Kazakhstan is gradually entering a demographic phase in which the proportion of elderly citizens is growing much faster...

May 8, 2026
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06May

US. For some older people, retirement today means unretiring

On weekday mornings, Myndie Friedman is out the door just as the sun rises over the Atlantic Ocean, a block from her home in Long Beach, New York. Friedman's first stop is a 7:30 a.m. bus, which she takes to a local train station for a roughly hourlong trip into Manhattan's Midtown neighborhood. Then she hops on the subway before exiting and hoofing it 10 minutes to her office job. Total commute: two hours door to desk, along with another...

May 6, 2026
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04May

How to make public spaces accessible, safe and attractive for an aging population

To be truly inclusive, public outdoor spaces must meet the needs of the entire population, regardless of age, physical ability or mobility. Although many cities have adopted universal accessibility policies in recent years, it’s important to consider whether these policies have actually improved accessibility and the experiences of citizens who live there. Public spaces can become a source of fatigue and stress for older people if their features are not properly designed. Several fields of research in urban design, urban planning, and...

May 4, 2026
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April 2026
29Apr

The Welfare Effects of Protecting Older Workers

By Todd Morris, Stefan Staubli & Benoit Dostie We evaluate the welfare effects of five provincial mandatory retirement bans in Canada from 2005 to 2009 using linked employer-employee tax data. The bans sharply reduce retirements at age 65, with sizable announcement effects and heterogeneity across industries. Post-65 employment and earnings rise at least 14%, with gains comparable to a two-year increase in pension-eligibility ages. Older workers save more and spouses postpone retirement, benefiting public finances, with no observable effects on...

April 29, 2026
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29Apr

Germany’s birth rate reached lowest level on record in 2025

Germany's birth rate fell to its lowest post-World War II level in 2025. According to preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), around 655,000 live births were recorded in 2025, compared to around 680,00 in 2024. Last year, the country recorded more than one million deaths. This brings the birth deficit to around 350,000, setting yet another record. Declining birth rates for the fourth year in Germany Last year marked the fourth consecutive year of decline in the birth rate and the lowest level since 1946. Germany's current replacement rate is at 1.35...

April 29, 2026
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29Apr

UK ageing accelerates as over‑85 population set to double

The UK’s population is ageing rapidly, with the number of people aged 85 and over projected to double over the next 25 years, new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have shown. The data revealed there were 1.75 million people aged 85 and over in mid‑2024, accounting for 2.5 per cent of the population, a figure expected to rise to 3.6 million, or 4.9 per cent, by mid‑2049. Over the same period, the number of people of pensionable age...

April 29, 2026
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27Apr

Baby boomers have now ‘gobbled up’ nearly one-third of America’s wealth share, and they’re leaving Gen Z and millennials behind

Older Americans may be trading in hustling for retirement, but that hasn’t stopped them from getting richer. Baby boomers now hold a record high of the United States’ wealth, Apollo chief economist Torsten Slok noted in a December blog post, citing Federal Reserve data. Compared to 1989, when those over 70 years old held 19% of the wealth in the household sector, older Americans now own 31% of the wealth. That chunk of change is an outsize share compared to other generations....

April 27, 2026
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22Apr

Australia. More than 3 million Australians over 65 to pay more for private health

More than 3 million Australians aged over 65 will have to pay hundreds of dollars more for their private health insurance per year, in a move the federal government argues will re-establish fairness between generations. In a major pre-budget speech at the National Press Club on Wednesday, Health Minister Mark Butler announced sweeping changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme and aged care. As part of this, he revealed older Australians would no longer be given special treatment and would now have to...

April 22, 2026
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22Apr

Mobile seniors and local economic development

Despite population ageing worldwide, little is known about the economic effects of retiree immigration. Using data from France over 1968–2008, this column documents retiree migration patterns and their implications for local economies. Around the statutory retirement age, retiree mobility increases, predominantly towards poorer and more rural areas. Their arrival leads to significant local economic gains, including increased employment, more construction, and higher local tax revenues. Mobile seniors have become a significant force for reducing the concentration of employment and...

April 22, 2026
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21Apr

Older People Are Hoarding the US’s Potential

Mr. Moyn is the author of the forthcoming “Gerontocracy in America.” “Ageism” identifies an enduring phenomenon: the mistreatment of older people for no reason other than being older. Americans in middle age and beyond are routinely passed over for opportunities because of the irrelevant fact of a number on paper or how they act and look after getting older. In today’s world, the unfair discrimination they cite coexists with a different kind of unfairness: a gerontocratic society in which the old...

April 21, 2026
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