Economic Impacts of Population Ageing and Related Challenges
A Special Issue of Economies (ISSN 2227-7099) belonging to the section "Labour and Education".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2027 | Viewed by 59
Editors
Interests: demography and economics; labour market; electronic forms of education
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Population ageing poses major economic and social challenges in many countries worldwide. Using World Bank data, the ageing index, defined as the number of people aged 65 and over per 100 children aged 0–14, reached approximately 244% in Japan in 2024. It also exceeded 160% in the Republic of Korea and in several European countries, meaning that the number of older people was more than 1.6 times the number of children. Countries in which the ageing index exceeds 100% have more older people than children, which is the case in most European countries, and these can therefore be described as aged societies. In a number of countries where the population aged 0–14 still slightly exceeds the population aged 65 and over, such as China, the ageing index is nevertheless expected to rise rapidly as a consequence of persistently low fertility, declining numbers of births, and increasing life expectancy. At the same time, the number of people aged 65 and over relative to the working-age population is also rising.
These demographic changes have far-reaching consequences for economic activity, healthcare systems, pension systems, labour markets, public finances, and many other areas of social and economic life. Population ageing may also influence productivity, consumption and saving patterns, intergenerational transfers, housing markets, and regional economic development. As the share of older people grows, governments and societies face increasing pressure to develop institutions, services, and labour-market structures. Countries have adopted different responses to these challenges: in some cases, immigration is encouraged partly to alleviate labour shortages associated with population ageing, while elsewhere greater emphasis is placed on technological solutions, including robotics and digital technologies in care for older people. Japan, for example, has developed a substantial “silver economy”, with products and services increasingly designed to meet the needs of older people. However, even in highly aged or rapidly ageing societies, the development of comprehensive strategies for addressing the economic and social consequences of population ageing remains an important policy challenge.
This Special Issue aims to examine the economic and social consequences of population ageing and to explore possible policy responses and strategies for adapting to these demographic changes. We welcome theoretical, empirical, comparative, and policy-oriented contributions addressing these issues at the national, regional, or international levels.
Prof. Dr. Éva Berde
Dr. Zsuzsanna Sisak-Fekete
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- population ageing
- ageing index
- old-age dependency ratio
- intergenerational relations
- intergenerational transfers
- long-term care
- informal care
- ageing and public finances
- pension systems
- retirement
- older workers
- labour shortages
- migration and ageing
- silver economy
- ageing and economic growth
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