Developments in medical technology and health care systems, among many other factors, are leading to
people
having a longer life expectancy than before. As
this
trend continues, in the future, we can expect the number of old
people
will be much greater than that of young
people
. In several ways, society may benefit from a growing proportion of senior citizens.
However
, I believe the rest of the
world
population would have to shoulder much more responsibilities and the global economy would face a serious labour crisis.
On the positive side, an increase in the number of old
people
means a greater pool of volunteers for community and government projects. These
people
are usually more financially comfortable and
therefore
more willing to contribute free labour to ameliorate their communities.
For example
, we often see old
people
in developed countries engage in charity work to provide shelter and food for the homeless in their neighbourhoods.
Such
an act
also
instils a great sense of responsibility and altruism into the young generation.
This
is, in fact, globally recognized to be advantageous in a
world
where selfishness hinders one from taking action for the sake of others.
Nevertheless
, ageing populations will place the whole
world
under many pressures. Both governments and businesses will have to pay for increased retirement pensions and health care costs, which means taxpayers will have to bear a greater financial burden and the young workforce will have to work harder and care for the elderly at the same time.
Furthermore
, a lack of a young labour workforce would cause stagnation in the growth of individual businesses and the global economy as a whole because little innovation may take place in
this
circumstance. (2) As a matter of fact, many first-
world
world
countries whose proportion of senior citizens is higher than that of young
people
,
such
as Japan, are already experiencing these undesirable impacts.
In conclusion, an ageing population is beneficial in certain ways.
However
, the benefits society may reap from an ageing population cannot match the damage it inflicts. It is important that the
world
governments should not underestimate the complexity of
this
problem and take immediate action to reduce its future influences.