Osoby bardzo stare w Polsce i w krajach Unii Europejskiej – przeszłość, teraźniejszość, przyszłość

Abstract

The population ageing process is characterized by two stages. At the second stage a share of the oldest old (people aged 80 years and more) increases very rapidly bringing challenges to social policy actors and to all society. The European population is now very differentiated by share of the oldest old. The EU countries are now more advanced in the second stage of population ageing in comparison to the candidate countries, but in the next five decades it will change due to limitation of fertility in Central and Eastern European countries. In the future in 2050 – according to the UN population projections (medium variant) – 15% share of the oldest old is expected in the most advanced regions. The mentioned population of the oldest old will be feminized and getriatrized (proportion of people aged 85 years and more is expected to increase significantly).