Ageing in Cities: Contributing Factors and Challenges

Abstract

Ageing in cities is comparatively a new area of research that focuses on the trends and prospects of ageing in the cities. The ageing of society is a challenging phenomenon, which characterizes the current stage of the global demographic transition. But this process should not be considered one-sided as a problem only. In general, longevity is the result of economic development and technological progress. By 2050, the percentage of the world's population that is aged 65 and older will grow from the current 9.4% to about 16.0%. The global number of people aged 80 years and older is assumed to more than double by 2030, with a projection of nearly 426 million in 2050, which is more than three times the relatively estimated number in 2019 of 143 million [1].It matters to consider the role of urbanization at the current stage of demographic transition as well as old population needs. Urbanisation plays a principal role in the development of countries' socioeconomic profiles. It is a multi-dimensional process linked to rising income levels, expanding access to jobs, improving health and education systems, and changes in cultural and value-added orientations of society [2].According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) [3], cities in developed countries have the majority of older inhabitants. In the context of ageing, big cities and metropolitan areas are of greater importance than villages or towns in OECD member states. Its report concludes that ageing trends are different between rural and urban areas. In big cities, the older population is growing faster than the total population, which causes disproportions in sex and age structure.Three key factors are deriving this transition: increasing longevity, particularly in older population cohorts, decreasing fertility, and internal and external migration flows.Increased longevity and falling fertility rates are the principal determinants of population ageing. Thanks to effective birth control, increased child survival, and changing a woman's role in society, birth rates have dropped sharply in the XX century. According to the World Population Prospects report [1], by 2050, the total fertility rate is expected to fall to about 2.25 children per woman. In many countries, regardless of the level of their economic development, fertility rates are now below 2.15 children per woman, treated as a long-term replacement rate.