The big idea: A population is ageing when the share of older people (65+) rises while the share of children (under-15) falls.
It usually happens because of two long-term trends:
- Falling fertility - families have fewer children, so the base of the population narrows. - Rising life expectancy - people live longer, so the top of the population widens.
If deaths start to outnumber births and immigration is low, the total population can also decline.
Key terms
- Ageing population - one in which the proportion of people aged 65+ is rising.
- Declining population - one that is shrinking in total size (deaths + emigration exceed births + immigration).
- Old-age dependency ratio - the number of people 65+ compared with every 100 of working age.
- Pension - regular income paid to retired people, often funded by today's workers' taxes.
Why it matters: An ageing society has more dependants who are no longer working and fewer workers to support them - this is what creates the social and economic pressures examiners ask about.
Free preview
This is the free notes preview
You're reading the free notes. Aimnova Pro unlocks the full study experience — and you can try it with your first topic free to keep:
- FlashcardsLock in vocabulary and key terms with spaced repetition.
- Practice questionsAnswer exam-style questions and get instant AI marking.
- Mock exams & past-paper vaultSit full mocks and see exactly how examiners award marks.
- Personalised study planA daily plan built around your exam date and weak areas.
Economic difficulties
- Smaller workforce - fewer working-age people means less output and a shrinking tax base.
- Higher pension costs - more retirees draw pensions for longer, straining government budgets.
- Rising healthcare spending - older people need more medical and long-term care.
Social difficulties
- Care burden on families - relatives must care for elderly parents, with less time for paid work.
- Loneliness and isolation - many elderly people live alone, raising mental-health needs.
- Pressure on services - hospitals, care homes and housing must adapt to an older society.
Explain one economic difficulty and one social difficulty that an ageing population can create.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Get feedback like a real examiner
Submit your answers and get instant feedback — what you did well, what's missing, and exactly what to write to score full marks.
Easing the pressure: Governments use policies to soften an ageing society's costs. They fall into a few groups - and different countries pick different ones depending on culture, wealth and politics.
Common strategies
- Raise the pension/retirement age - people work longer, paying tax for longer and drawing pensions for less time.
- Encourage immigration of workers - young migrants fill jobs and pay taxes, widening the workforce.
- Pro-natalist incentives - cash bonuses, childcare and parental leave to lift the birth rate.
- Automation and productivity - robots and technology offset the smaller workforce.
Suggest two reasons why different countries adopt different policies to cope with an ageing population.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
How this is tested: The ageing stimulus is usually a bar graph of ageing-related policies by world region, an age-sex chart of a greying society, or a projection graph of dependent age groups.
The quick reads ask you to State, Estimate or Identify a value off the figure; the longer read asks you to Describe a trend. Always quote the units and a number.
Interactive diagram
Explore the labelled diagram, charts and maps for this topic in full study mode.
Estimate the percentage of countries in Europe with a policy to raise the retirement age.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Interactive diagram
Explore the labelled diagram, charts and maps for this topic in full study mode.
| Age group | 2020 | 2060 |
|---|---|---|
| Under-15s (young) | 13 | 10 |
| 65 and over (old) | 28 | 38 |
IB-style question - read the projection
Using the projection table: (a) state the projected share of over-65s in 2060 [1]; (b) estimate the change in the under-15 share from 2020 to 2060 [1]; (c) describe how the two dependent age groups change between 2020 and 2060 [2].
How to answer each part
- (a) State the value. Read the 65+ row, 2060 column -> 38%.
- (b) Estimate the change. Under-15s go 13% -> 10%, a fall of about 3 percentage points.
- (c) Describe with figures. The young dependants fall (13% to 10%) while the old dependants rise sharply (28% to 38%) - the population is ageing, with the elderly share growing fastest.
Final answer
(a) 38%; (b) a fall of about 3 percentage points; (c) under-15s fall (13->10%) and over-65s rise (28->38%) - a clear ageing trend.
Describe needs numbers: On a Describe part, state the direction (rises/falls) AND quote figures for each group. No causes needed - that is for Explain.