This is the century of ageing. Today, almost 10 per cent of the global population are over the age of 60 and by 2050 this figure is expected to double to 20 per cent
Although population ageing has the potential to affect human development as profoundly as climate change, there is still little debate on the economic and social impact of this phenomenon in contrast to the growing and now pervasive debate on global warming
This lack of attention to the elderly is significant because ageing (for the great majority in many countries) is accompanied by increasing poverty
there are currently 197 million older people who live in poverty while some 80 per cent of older people in developing countries have no regular income
More people over the age of 60 die each year from malnutrition, respiratory diseases and tuberculosis than any other age group, including children aged 0-14.
Yet, the older poor remain largely sidelined by their governments and unreached by most development aid.
clipped from: english.aljazeera.net