In the developed world, average life expectancy is increasing. What problems will this cause for individuals and society? Suggest some measures that could be taken to reduce the impact of ageing populations

It is true that

people

in industrialised nations can expect to live longer than ever before.

Although

there will undoubtedly be some negative consequences of

this

trend, societies can take steps to mitigate these potential

problems

. As

people

live longer and the populations of developed countries grow older, several related

problems

can be anticipated. The main issue is that there will obviously be more

people

of retirement age who will be eligible to receive a pension. The proportion of younger, working

adults

will be smaller, and governments will

therefore

receive less money in taxes in relation to the size of the population.

In other words

, an ageing population will mean a greater tax

the

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burden for working

adults

.

Further

pressures will include a rise in the demand for healthcare

,

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and the fact young

adults

will increasingly have to look after their elderly relatives. There are several actions that governments could take to solve the

problems

described above.

Firstly

, a simple solution would be to increase the retirement age for working

adults

, perhaps from 65 to 70. Nowadays,

people

of

this

age tend to be healthy enough to continue a productive working life. A second measure would be for governments to encourage immigration in order to increase the number of working

adults

who pay taxes.

Finally

, money from national budgets will need to be taken from other areas and spent on vital healthcare, accommodation and transport facilities for the rising numbers of older citizens. In conclusion, various measures can be taken to tackle the

problems

that are certain to arise as the populations of countries grow older.