Demographics of the Aging

Population

By
Sheila Marie Oconer, RN MAN
Aging is a developmental Process

Growing older, or chronological aging, is a

relentless and unstoppable process that
happens to all humans. For that reason
alone, some bioethicists argue that aging is,
in fact, a natural developmental process for
human beings (Meilaender, 2011)

From a biological perspective, all humans

grow, experience puberty, mature, and age as
the course of a normal, healthy life.
aging/
As human beings grow older, they go
through different phases or stages of
life. It is helpful to understand aging in
the context of these phases. A life
course is the period from birth to
death, including a sequence of
predictable life events such as physical
maturation.
Process of Aging
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/
sociology/chapter/the-process-of-
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON AGING POPULATION

According to World Population Prospects 2019

(United Nations, 2019), by 2050, 1 in 6 people
in the world will be over the age of 65, up from
1 in 11 in 2019

There were 703 million persons aged 65 years

or over in the world in 2019.

Between 2019 and 2050, the share of older

persons is projected at least to double in four
regions: Northern Africa and Western Asia,
Central and Southern Asia, Latin America and
the Caribbean, and Eastern and South-Eastern
Asia
Globally, a person aged 65 years in
2015-2020 could expect to live, on
average, an additional 17 years

In countries where public transfers are

relatively low, such as many in
Southern Asia and South-Eastern Asia,
individuals and families face greater
pressure to finance their consumption
during old-age. It is important to
establish social protection
programmes that can be sustained
over the long term to prevent poverty,
reduce inequality (United Nations,
2019)
To maximize the benefits and manage
the risks associated with population
ageing, governments should support
continuing and lifelong education and
health care for all; encourage savings
behaviour and healthy lifestyles
throughout the life course; promote
employment among women, older
persons and others traditionally
excluded from the labour force,
including through a gradual increase
in the official retirement age; and
support family friendly policies to
facilitate work-life balance and
increased gender equality in both
public and private life. (United Nations,
2019)
PHLIPPINE DEMOGRAPHICS ON AGING POPULATION
2019 2050
Population aged 60 and above (total) 9,433,000 23,863,00
0
Population aged 60 and above (% of total 8.6 16.5
population)
Older women aged 60+ (% of total population) 4.83 9.40
Life expectancy (males) 67.08 71.88
Life expectancy (females) 75.31 79.5
Old-Age Dependency Ratio (Age 65+ / Age 15- 8.6 17.7
64)
Rural older people (% of total population) 6.48
Urban older people (% of total population) 6.54
Older persons living alone aged 60 5.4
and above (% of total population
aged 60+)
 Increasing life expectancy at age 60 which
suggests the improving longevity of older
Filipinos – Female OP live longer but spend a
greater part of their remaining life in inactive
state relative to the males

 Functional health is improving over time

(1996 PES and 2007 PSOA); 19% of older
Filipinos have at least 1 ADL difficulty (2010
Census)
 Younger cohorts of OP have better health
status
 Access to health care. Health insurance
coverage remains low, particularly among the
females (F: 12% vs M: 19%) and the older
cohorts ( Age 80+: 10% vs. 60-69: 17%) (2007
PSOA)
 Oral health. Low number of remaining
teeth. Only 6% of age 80+ have at least
20 remaining teeth (2007 PSOA)
 Unmet health needs. Unmet need for
health services remains substantial
(2007 PSOA) •\
 SAH. Significantly better SAH among:
Younger (60s compared to those in the
70s and 80s), and those better
educated (2007 PSOA) Major gaps and
significant differentials in the health
status of OP that need to be addressed
14 Cruz, G.T., 2019. Are
The tradition of caring for the old still
lingers in Filipino families…

Older Filipinos enjoy a significant

amount of care and support from their
spouse and children. Family support
comes in the form of financial support,
other financial and non-financial
transfers and significant amount of
support in terms of companionship and
assistance
Source: Cruz, Grace T. (2013)
Caring for the older persons by the family and
the state is similarly emphasized in all the
policy principles

The family has the duty to care for its elderly

members but the State may also do so through
programs of social security. --- Article XV
(Family) Section 4 of the Philippine Constitution

"(d) To encourage their families and the

communities they live with to reaffirm the
valued Filipino tradition of caring for the senior
citizens; "(e) To provide a comprehensive health
care and rehabilitation system for disabled
senior citizens to foster their capacity to attain a
more meaningful and productive ageing. ---
Republic Act (RA) 9994 or the Expanded Senior
Citizens Act of 2010
Filipino older persons’ major concerns on
well-being…

Economic concerns
Older Filipinos have low income and assets
with many of them, specifically women
depending on their children for economic
support.
Source: Cruz, Natividad, Gonzales & Saito
(2016)

Over half of Filipino older people aged 60

and older receive no form of pension at
all.
References :

Provision of Care for Filipino Older Persons and Responding to the

Needs of Aging Societies by Plenee Grace Castillo
https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/events/pdf/ex
pert/29/session8/EGM_26Feb2019_S8_PleneeGraceJCastillo.pdf

WHO Guidelines on Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE)

https://www.who.int/ageing/publications/guidelines-icope/en/

World Population Ageing 2019

https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/
pdf/ageing/WorldPopulationAgeing2019-Highlights.pdf