At the present time, the population of some countries includes a relatively large number of young adults, compared with the number of older people. Do the advantages of this situation outweigh the disadvantages?

Some experts seem to think it is an advantage to have more young adults conforming to the society of a country. The younger population represent, in theory, the economically productive age group in most nations.

Therefore

, a country with a younger community should have a stronger economy. On the other side, older people hold institutional knowledge and experience that cannot be taught or learned other than through years of hard work. On that subject, older people

also

have life skills that may be hard to measure and quantify, but they certainly equip the worker with resources and problem-solving techniques that benefit any employer.

Nevertheless

, older workers on average need more sick days in a year compared to younger employees.

As a result

, mature staff could be seen as less desirable to hire or to retain by employers, in spite of the expertise and invaluable habilities they may have earned throughout the years. The most obvious advantage of having a large number of young adults would be the cost of healthcare. Younger populations with a more or less healthy lifestyle represent a healthier population.

Furthermore

, younger persons might be easier to educate if targeted at youth through school programs.

In addition

, prevention-based population health strategies are by far the most effective ones. When a government invests in prevention and education, rather than in only treating diseases the cost of healthcare is significantly reduced.

Nonetheless

,

this

doesn't mean older folk cannot benefit from education and prevention strategies.

However

, by the time a person reaches sixty years of age, the window of opportunity to prevent most cardiovascular disorders has shut.

As a result

, immigration policies in most countries favour an influx of younger people.

Consequently

, individuals with less experience might seem more desirable based on their age. In the same way, older applicants don't get the same opportunities even though they might have a robust background to support their application. In summary, there is no clear answer to

this

question. There are many variables to consider and they all depend on what society we are analysing. Even if we find a way to consistently analyze the economic situation of a determined group, the cultural perception would be different.