Every year on October 1 the International Day of Older Persons is commemorated. In 2023 the number of elderly people in the world will reach one billion, and in 2050 the number of people over 60 years old will exceed the number of people under 15, according to ee24.com citing Prian.ru and the Daily Mail. It is clear that the rapid population aging will turn to a challenge for many countries, for their pension systems and labor markets.
This year, the HelpAge International in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund issued the Global Agewatch Index (index of older persons' well-being). It includes 91 countries and takes into account such factors as levels of material welfare, education, employment, health and quality of older persons life. The index is based on data of the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the World Bank and other international institutions.
Here is top ten countries of the index, and it is worthy of note that six of them are European:
1. Sweden
2. Norway
3. Germany
4. The Netherlands
5. Canada
6. Switzerland
7. New Zealand
8. The U.S.
9. Iceland
10. Japan.