Let’s look at some demographics from the Geriatric Review Series📊
The number and proportion of older adults are increasing globally because of the increase in life expectancy and the decline in fertility and mortality.
Decrease in fertility: 🐣
Global fertility is projected to drop from 5 per woman in the 1950s to about 2.5 per woman between 2015 and 2020
Life expectancy: 🔮
Between 2015 and 2020, life expectancy is 79 years in more developed regions and 71 years in less developed areas.
Between 2045 and 2050 – 83 years in more developed regions, 76 years in less developed regions.
Proportion ≥65 years old US:
2018 – 16%
2025 – 19%
2030 – 20.6% (1 in 5 Americans)
Number ≥85 years old in the US:
2018 – 6.5 million
2030 – 9 million
2050 – 18.6 million (5% of total population)
A statistic created by the World Health Organization Measures years of life expectancy free from morbidity and injury💪
Healthy life expectancy in the United States, 2016:
At birth – 68.5 years for both sexes, 70.1 years for women, 66.9 years for men (the US ranks 40th out of 183 countries included in the report)
At age 60 – 17.9 years for both sexes, 19.0 years for women, 16.7 years for men (the US ranks 31st out of 183 countries included in the report)
Research shows that one-third of older adults over 65 need expert care from a geriatrician 🩺
However, according to Health Resources and Services Administration data, the number of geriatricians will increase modestly, but demand will rise steeply.
By the way, how old is the US population 🧐
“As of 2022, the median age of the U.S. population was 38.9 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This is older than the population has ever been, with the median age increasing from 30.0 in 1980. The median age is the age at which half of the population is older and half is younger”
