Countries with aging populations have higher death rates. This is the case in the UK as death rates are particularly high in some of the popular retirement resorts along the south coast e. g. Brighton and Dorset. Although such services as the NHS work well in Great Britain and good doctors and medicine are keeping the elderly healthy until a much older age, this means that as the retirement age remains at sixty and people are beginning to live for longer. This is increasing the ratio of the number of people of working age (15-604 years) to support each person of sixty and over.

As figure 3A and figure 3B show the UK to have the highest ratio against other high ratioed countries such as France. The figures show a forecast for the years to come, increasing by twenty years each time. Nearly all the way through the UK is shown to be the highest; this is due to the baby boom of the fifties and sixties. The official years of the Baby Boom Generation (1946 through 1964) saw a marked increase in the number of births in the world.

Here’s how the birth rate rose and fell during the baby boom years in America: 1940 – 2,559,000 births per year 1946 – 3,311,000 births per year 1955 – 4,097,000 births per year 1957 – 4,300,000 births per year 1964 – 4,027,000 births per year 1974 – 3,160,000 births per year There have even been books made about the baby boom: Here are some recent statistics of some countries showing their population in numbers and their pyramid.

Country Population (millions) BR DR Urban population (%) Under 15 years (%) UK 59. 4 12 10 89 19 Egypt 66. 9 26 6 44 39 Nigeria 113. 8 43 13 16 45 Population Pyramid Summary for United Kingdom: Here is the demographic transition model for the UK: Here is Britain through the ages (% of population in each age group)All this is not good for the country though as society ages, there may come a time when:  There are not enough young people to finance care of the old  The old may have used up all their financial resources (NB: People will depend on pension schemes for longer than anticipated when they were set up). A major concern is that population ageing will drive up “unsustainable” healthcare costs.

So far, the main factor that drives healthcare expenditure is not the percentage of older inhabitants per se, but includes:  Technological developments Rising patient expectations Society’s (and the nation’s) changing commitment to healthcare  Healthcare delivery systems Costs and profits, and differences in availability and use of healthcare payment schemes and insurances. These in turn are driven by factors, which may be affected by population aging: The state of the economy  Private and public resource allocation * Delivery and use of health services  The viability of pension systems.

Family life (family members who might care for the oldest olds may be in need of care themselves, often being old olds themselves)  Medical research agendas “A major concern is that population ageing will drive up “unsustainable” healthcare costs. Although the percentage of older inhabitants may not drive up healthcare expenditure per se at the moment, it is nevertheless true that the major health expenditure is on those who are older. ” Selected nations ranked by percentage of the population aged 65 and over, compared with the percentage of the gross national product spent on healthcare.

(Butler, RN.Population aging and health. Brit Med J 1997; 315: 1082-1084) The European Union (EU) has even warned that retirement ages in Europe may have to rise if public finances are to cope with pensions provision and that tougher budget policies may be needed, this is all due to the aging population. It warns that pensions expenditure for rapidly aging populations could lead to an increase in pensions expenditure of 3-5% of gross domestic product (GDP) in most member countries. It also says countries could also see an average 3 percent increase in health care expenditure to cater for the aging population.