Aging Population (College Board AP® Human Geography)
Study Guide
Written by: Kristin Tassin
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Aging Populations
Aging populations are characterized by:
longer life expectancies
decreased birth rates
shrinking working-age populations
increased quality of medical care
higher living standards
an increase in the percentage of the population over age 65
More developed countries, such as Japan and Germany, have populations aging most rapidly
Examiner Tips and Tricks
You should be familiar with which countries are in Stage 5 of the Demographic Transition Model, such as Germany, Japan, Russia, and Italy. In addition to making the connection between advanced economic development, longer life expectancies, lower birth rates, and longer life expectancies, you should also be able to speak to government policies addressing aging populations. These include increased healthcare needs, a declining tax base, and the potential need for guest workers. Countries may also pursue pro-natalist policies.
Consequences of Aging Populations
Ageing populations have specific economic, social, and political consequences
Economic impacts
Aging populations may lead to economic impacts including::
increased healthcare costs
shrinking tax revenues
changing consumer patterns
changes in the housing market
As populations age, more of the economy is geared towards health care
Similarly, countries may need to focus on building retirement communities or elder care facilities, rather than single-family homes
Social impacts
The social impacts of an ageing population include:
changing family dynamics
increased healthcare needs
changing transportation requirements
Political impacts
The political impacts of an ageing population include:
the creation of a senior voting bloc and political disagreements by age
Older people tend to be more traditional and conservative than their younger counterparts
The political interests of older people, including pensions and health care, may be different from younger people, who are more interested in funding education or environmental initiatives
Governments may use different policies to address their ageing populations. These include pronatalist policies, pro-immigration policies, and domestic reforms
Governments may enact pronatalist policies to increase the birth rate
Governments may encourage immigration to increase the working-age population
Governments may invest in infrastructure for older citizens
Governments might also make reforms to pensions or tax systems
Dependency ratio
Aging populations change the dependency ratio of a country
A high elderly dependency ratio indicates that the working-age population will be supporting a higher number of people aged 65 and over
The effects of a high elderly dependency ratio include:
Increased demand for healthcare
Greater tax burdens on the working population
Potential risks to the pension system
Greater spending on healthcare
Worked Example
Answer each of the questions using the image below:
Image: Average median age of population by country
A. Identify the world region with the lowest median age of population.
Answer: Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Africa
B. Identify the world regions with the highest median age of population.
Answer: Western Europe
C. Explain the cause of the high median age in the region you identified in part B.
Answer: Western Europe is characterized by longer life expectancies, low fertility rates, and low death rates. The reasons for this include high levels of medical access and good sanitation, high levels of education for women, many women in the workforce, high literacy rates, and high levels of economic development. Because of high living standards and access to good medical care, people tend to live longer. Women also have higher rates of participation in the economy and tend to marry later and have fewer or no children. These processes together drive up the average age of the population.
D. Identify ONE social and ONE economic consequence of a young population.
Answer: Social consequences might include a high youth dependency rate, in which a large population of children are dependent on a smaller population of working adults, which can strain resources; and pressure on the education system to provide adequately for so many students.
Economic consequences include potential high unemployment and strain on the job market. This may result in significant emigration as people leave to seek work elsewhere.
E. Identify ONE social and ONE economic consequence of an aging population.
Answer: Social consequences might include a high elderly dependency ratio, in which young adults will have to care for older family members, potentially causing a strain on national resources. This may cause increased social friction. In addition, societies may become reoriented toward the creation of more services for the elderly, such as retirement homes.
Economic consequences include increased strain on the healthcare system, the potential need for immigrant healthcare labor, and less unemployment as older people leave the workforce. The smaller workforce will produce fewer taxes, which may cause a reduction in government services.
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