Demographic Change

• Demography


  The study of populations
• Demographic statistics


  • Birth rates
  • Death rates
  • Fertility rates
  • Childbearing trends
  • Net migration
• Birth rate


  The number of live births per 1000 of the population per year
• Fertility rate


  The average number of children per adult woman (differs from completed family size)
• Infant mortality rate


  The number of deaths of children under the age of 1 per 1000 live births per year
• Mortality rate


  The number of deaths per 1000 of the population per year (also known as the death rate)
• Net migration


  The number of people moving into a country minus the number of people moving away
• Life expectancy


  The average length of time someone today is expected to live; the average age a new-born baby born today would reach, assuming mortality rates remain the same as they are now
• Current life expectancy is 79.2 for males and 83.1 for females, steadily climbing for many years but the rate of increase has slowed
• In 1901, the life expectancy was 48.5 for males and 52.4 for females
• Replacement level


  The total fertility rate needs to be 2.1 in order to replace the existing population
• As the total fertility rate has been below 2 for some time, we are seeing an ageing population profile
• Traditional "age pyramid"


  • Demonstrates how the economically active section of society is able to pay for young and old dependents
• The UK's age pyramid is no longer a pyramid, but more of a pillar with a slight bulge in the middle and a point at the top
• Ageing population


  Increases the dependency ratio, making it increasingly difficult for society and families to meet older people's needs
• Ageing population


  Leads to problems relating to health and social care, and paying for it, as care for the elderly is increasingly self-funded rather than provided by the NHS
• Ageing population


  Impacts whether older people are able to stay in their homes, and the ability to pass them on to the next generation
• Ageing population


  Means there is a longer period when grandparents are receiving care rather than providing it
• Increasingly, older people (particularly baby boomers) are a prosperous section of society, rather than the dependent and poor section described previously
• Older adults remaining in their homes for longer has pushed up house prices, making it harder for younger families to afford comparable homes
• Net migration can help reduce the impact of the ageing population on the dependency ratio, if there is a sufficient supply of working age migrants paying taxes
• Recent migrant women have a higher fertility rate than the average, which initially increases the dependency ratio but may ultimately reduce the extent of the ageing population
• The problems of an ageing population are as much to do with social policy decisions as demographic trends, such as women living longer but having smaller pensions
• In a postmodern consumer society, older adults with disposable income and leisure time are an important demographic, with products marketed directly at them