Earth's Population is aging Faster than Previously Thought

The world's population is aging rapidly
The program "Today in America" is hosted by Yuri Zhigalkin. Vladimir Morozov, a correspondent of Radio Liberty in New York, is taking part.

Yuri Zhigalkin: The world's population is aging faster than previously thought. In 40 years, by the middle of the century, every sixth inhabitant of the Earth will be over 65 years old. In Western countries, a demographic crisis may occur in the coming decades. In the United States, the proportion of the elderly will be twenty percent in just twenty years, and the American population is younger than the population of other developed countries. Vladimir Morozov tells us.

Vladimir Morozov: Of the almost 7 billion people inhabiting the Earth today, people over 65 years old make up less than 8 percent so far. But their share is growing rapidly, because medical advances have led to an increase in life expectancy. At the same time, the birth rate is declining in developed countries. Demographer Richard Jackson says that in ten years the rapid aging of the population can cause a crisis in developed countries. The expert warns that by 2017 there will be no funds left in the United States to provide free medical care to people over 65, and the restructuring of the medical and pension system will require either a reduction in pensions or an increase in taxes.

It seems that this anxiety does not concern the elderly citizens themselves. People over 65 have not called themselves old people for a long time and behave accordingly. Ken Reis, a 73-year-old basketball player, plays on the Tennessee State University team. At a ski resort in the Adirondack Mountains, I met two athletes aged 86, during the Second World War they fought with the Nazis in the Alps as part of a division of mountain shooters. Mario Bolsino, an 89-year-old resident of Los Angeles, went even further, he performs in a striptease for women. Guys who are old enough to be his great-grandchildren come on stage next to him.

Mario Bolsino: I have never drunk or smoked. I do physical education every day, I walk a lot. I try not to overeat. Anyone can be in just as good shape if they follow these simple tips.

Vladimir Morozov: But all these brave old men were outdone by 72-year-old Japanese Shigeo Tokuda, who, after retiring, began acting in porn films. He is known even in the capital of American porn, in the San Fernando Valley, from where an order for new numbers was recently received, which a cheerful Japanese chops off.

But while the old people are frolicking, experts and politicians are looking for a way out. They warn that a serious danger threatens China, where the birth rate has been restricted for many years. By the middle of the century, the share of old people will reach 61 percent here. An unbearable burden on the budget can cause serious social and political upheavals, which, in turn, will adversely affect the entire global economy.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru/24.06.2009