The diagram demonstrates the changes in the percentages of older citizens in three developed nations: Japan, Sweden, and the United States in a century.
Overall, all three countries have experienced and are expected to undergo substantial increases in the number of people above working age. Despite having the smallest statistic in 1940, Japan is expected to hold the largest proportion at the end of the period.
In 1940, the statistics of the USA and Sweden started at roughly similar positions, at 7.5 and a little below 10 correspondingly, and afterward both similarly rose to almost 15% in 1980. However, whereas the USA’s figure remained stable at below 15% until 2020, that of Sweden dipped slightly in the 1990s and climbed significantly before 2020 to three times as much as the original percentage in 1940. From this point to 2040, Sweden is expected to witness a minimal shrink in the size of the elderly population and an increase to 25% respectively, while the US will experience continuous growth in proportion to slightly below Sweden’s from the said plateau.
From 1940, Japan’s data showed stability at below a mere one in twenty, with a small decline to approximately 3% in 1960 and a return in 1990. Nevertheless, Japan’s number of people aged older than 65 is anticipated to double in 2030, and then skyrocket up to five times as much as the original 5% at the end of 2040.