In the years ahead, it is inevitable that the world's "elders" will command unprecedented attention from marketers and the media, and will have an enormous impact on the rest of the population. The reality is that we're entering into an era in which the elderly will make up a larger proportion of the global population than ever before. Already, the most rapidly growing age group is made up of those aged 85-plus. In the US, this group will double in size by 2025 and increase fivefold by 2050. Around the world, half of all people aged 65 and over who have ever lived are alive today.
THE AGING GLOBAL POPULATION
Our ageing population promises to influence everything, from financial planning and home design to the way products are made and sold. As the number of elderly continues to increase, so will this group's power in terms of influencing public policy. Images of the elderly as victims will become historical; instead, we will see seniors who grow more active in politics and who maintain and even increase their economic power as they move into their second half-century of life. Socially, politically - and certainly economically - the implications of this development will be felt by us all.