WASHINGTON — The world’s 65-and-older population will triple by midcentury to make up 1 in 6 people.
Census Bureau estimates released Tuesday show the number of senior citizens has already risen 23 percent since 2000 to 516 million, more than double the growth rate for the general population. The fastest-growing age group, seniors now make up just under 8 percent of the world’s 6.8 billion people. By 2050, the senior group is projected to increase to 1.53 billion.
Demographers attribute increases to declining births as well as a coming wave of retiring baby boomers. They warn that the U.S., China and other countries could face fiscal crises as governments struggle to pay for health care and pensions of their rapidly aging populations.
The figures come from the bureau’s international database, which includes projections by age for 227 countries and areas.
