October 2024

Well-Being of Older People in East Asia: The People’s Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea

By Hidehiko Ichimura, Xiaoyan Lei, Chulhee Lee, Jinkook Lee, Albert Park, & Yasuyuki Sawada East Asia is undergoing a rapid demographic transition and “super” aging. As a result of steadily decreasing fertility and increasing life expectancy, older people’s proportion of the population and the old-age dependency ratio is rising across all countries in East Asia, particularly in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Japan, and the Republic of Korea (ROK). In this paper, we empirically investigate the well-being of older...

What a Rapidly Aging World Population Means for Your Long-Term Portfolio

Global demographics are undergoing a profound transformation. As life expectancies grow and birth rates decline in many parts of the world, the proportion of the elderly population is increasing at an unprecedented rate. The World Health Organization (WHO) forecasts that by 2030, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 60 years or over. In 2030, the share of the global population aged 60 years and over will have increased from 1 billion in 2020 to 1.4 billion...

Life expectancy may be reaching upper limits—for now

By William Mair     A paper published in Nature Aging earlier this month concluded that it’s unlikely that we will see significant leaps in human life expectancy this century. William Mair, professor of molecular metabolism at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, shares what researchers know about the biology of aging, the importance of improving health span, and the need to take moonshots. Q: What did the study find and what conclusions can we draw from it? A: The study looks back at advances in...

The problem of aging is intensifying in Korean rural areas. In particular, in the case of rice farme.

71.1% of rice farmers aged 65 or older majority of people in their 70s and older Rice consumption per person has decreased by 14.8 kg over 12 years. The problem of aging is intensifying in Korean rural areas. In particular, in the case of rice farmers, more than 70% of elderly farmers aged 65 or older were found. According to the "Rice Consumption Trend Analysis" published by the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation on the 21st, the proportion of farmers aged 65...

Can’t wait to give up work? Why some people are not the retiring type

Ageing populations require a shake up of our pension systems, but fair and effective changes require an understanding of older workers. Across Europe, raising pension ages is a necessary - yet incendiary - conversation. As life expectancies increase, so does the ratio of pensioners to workers, ultimately resulting in mounting pressure on state budgets. In countries where retirement reforms have sparked controversy, one argument continues to resurface. Raising the state pension age, many argue, can't be a 'one-size fits-all' approach. Due to disparities...

In France, senior citizens are (almost) king

It was highly symbolic. In the space of a few days, France went from having the youngest prime minister of the Fifth Republic, 35-year-old Gabriel Attal, to the oldest, Michel Barnier, 73. Beyond the political context, this change carries a particular significance at a time when the country is quietly going through a profound transformation: It is aging – and quickly. To prove the point, centenarians, rare 30 years ago, are now almost commonplace: There are around 30,000 of...

Parametric Pension Reform Options in Korea

By Daniel Baksa, Boele Bonthuis, Si Guo & Zsuzsa Munkacsi Population aging in Korea will pose substantial challenges to the financial sustainability of its public pension system. Under current policies and plausible assumptions, public pension spending can increase by as much as 4 percent of GDP during 2020-70, while contribution revenue will largely stay constant. This expected rise in public pension spending mainly reflects the increase in the old-age dependency ratio (and therefore the number of pension recipients), the deceleration...

The world isn’t prepared for an aging population – but it’s actually a huge opportunity

By the year 2047, the global population will have more people in retirement age than young people The global population is aging, and no country, company or government is fully prepared to handle, and potentially benefit from, that demographic shift. The economic power wielded by older adults, already considerable in terms of their spending patterns, will only increase in the coming years, and the companies and regions that adapt to this growing market will be best positioned to succeed - and...

US Is Sleepwalking Into an Economic Storm

By Daron Acemoglu   Daron Acemoglu, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, received the Nobel in economic science this year. Inflation seems under control. The job market remains healthy. Wages, including at the bottom end of the scale, are rising. But this is just a lull. There is a storm approaching, and Americans are not prepared. Barreling toward us are three epochal changes poised to reshape the U.S. economy in coming years: an aging population, the rise of artificial intelligence and...

Can today’s pensions survive tomorrow’s longer lifespans?

The 2024 Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index (MCGPI) reveals the ongoing need for retirement system improvements globally, driven by declining birth rates and increasing longevity. The 16th annual report, released by Mercer, a business of Marsh McLennan, and the CFA Institute, highlights how pension systems are adapting. The Netherlands remains the top-performing retirement income system worldwide, with Iceland in second place and Denmark in third. Pat Tomlinson, Mercer’s president and CEO, emphasized the growing importance of retirement income systems as...