The Briefing Room

Our Ageing World


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For years, the major problem of world demography was thought to be the risk of over-population. Now, it's the fact that the global population is ageing fast.

According to the United Nations, the number of people over 65 is set to double between now and 2050, to 1.6 billion people. And, at the same time, the birth rate in most of the world is falling, often sharply.

This demographic shift comes with huge social and economic implications. What are they, and what can we do to cope with them?

Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:

Stephanie Hegarty, BBC Global Population Correspondent

Marco Valerio Lo Prete, Economics Editor at Italian State Broadcaster RAI and author of “Italians: The Unhappy Few”
Robert Kelly., Professor of Political Science at Pusan National University, South Korea
Camilla Cavendish, Senior Fellow at Harvard University
Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development at the Oxford Martin School

Producers: Simon Watts, Kirsteen Knight and Octavia Woodward

Editor: Richard Vadon
Studio manager: Rod Farquhar
Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed

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The Briefing RoomBy BBC Radio 4

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