The US is lagging behind dozens of countries in its preparation for coping with its getting old inhabitants.
The U.S. ranks 24 amongst 143 international locations with regards to making certain seniors’ well-being, productiveness and safety, in accordance with outcomes printed Dec. 27 within the journal Nature Getting older.
By comparability, Switzerland tops the rankings, Singapore is at 10, and France, Australia, the U.Ok. and Japan all are higher ready than the U.S., researchers say.
This lack of preparation might imply hardship for less-well-off seniors within the U.S.
“If health and social security systems remain insufficient to address the needs of older adults, the financial burden on individuals and their families could escalate, potentially leading to widespread economic consequences,” Chen added.
For the examine, researchers developed a brand new measure known as the International Getting older Index to evaluate the preparedness of nations to deal with the challenges posed by a graying inhabitants.
The index examines 5 key measures: well-being, productiveness and engagement, fairness, cohesion and safety.
Outcomes present that the U.S. ranks:
96 in seniors’ well-being, which incorporates measures of well being protection, wholesome life expectancy and life satisfaction. The highest international locations have been Singapore, Iceland, Switzerland, Japan and Sweden.
8 in productiveness and engagement, which incorporates labor pressure participation, job retraining, volunteering and job satisfaction. Switzerland, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands scored greatest.
15 in fairness, which incorporates schooling, earnings, meals safety and employment. Norway, Finland, Iceland, Denmark and Sweden have been top-ranked.
28 in cohesion, which incorporates social assist, trusting neighbors, not dwelling alone, and entry to the web. Bahrain, U.A.E, Iceland, Spain and Eire have been tops on this area.
16 in safety, which incorporates earnings, pension, bodily security, good psychological well being and high quality healthcare. Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Slovenia and Malta ranked greatest.
Total, the Nordic international locations of Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland prime the International Getting older Index, outcomes present.
“While high-income countries lead the rankings in readiness for a rapidly aging society, low- and middle-income nations trail behind,” Chen mentioned.
“Although low- and middle-income countries often have younger populations today, many are expected to experience rapid population aging in the future,” Chen added.
International locations that get forward of the curve and adapt to their getting old populations will get pleasure from many advantages from their efforts.
“Countries can mitigate the growth in healthcare costs while harnessing the potential of older adults, whose experience and wisdom can contribute significantly to societies,” Chen defined.
“In the long run, this can lead to global societal benefits,” Chen concluded. “We hope our findings can help prioritize action for countries at all levels of development.”
Extra data:
Cynthia Chen et al, A worldwide evaluation of adaptation to societal getting old throughout low-, middle- and high-income international locations utilizing the International Getting older Society Index, Nature Getting older (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s43587-024-00772-3
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Singapore is prepared for a quickly getting old society, examine says. what concerning the U.S.? (2024, December 30)
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