The table illustrates the anticipation about the change in percentage of the 65-and-above aged categories in three different countries from 1980 and 2030.
Overall, it is evident that the population aged 65 and above in three countries increased from 1980 to 2000 and will have risen further by 2030. Most noticeably, such a shift towards an aging population is the most pronounced in Germany, as evidenced by its highest proportion of those aged 65 and above in all studied years.
Looking first at Germany and Canada, the gap between elderly population remains stable throughout the examined period. In 1988, the percentage of the population aged 65 and above in the two countries was 15.51% and 9.51%, respectively. Those figures increased by around 5 percentage points, with respective figures being 20.35% and 14.61%. Looking ahead, elderly population size in Germany will have expanded to almost a third(30,42%), representing a rise of 10 percentage points compared to Canada. A similar pattern will be witnessed for Canada, albeit more robust, whose senior demographic is projected to reach 26,35%.
Turning to the UK, it has consistently remained the country with the lowest figures for the senior population. In 1988, 14,23% of the UK’s population belonged to the 65-and-above aged category. This figure increased by almost 4 percentage points(14,89%) in 2000. If predictions materialize, the UK senior population will have risen to above 20,35%. This growth, however, lags behind both Germany and Canada by approximately 4 percentage points.