BEIJING (People's Daily), August 31, 2004:
A Chinese folk adage goes like this: living up to seventy years of age is quite rare since ancient times. In the history of most of the countries the aged people of over 65 years old will not be over 2 to 3 percent in proportion of the population. However, in some developed countries the senility proportion has reached as high as 15 percent.
The human society is now experiencing a great change, namely the number of the aged people of over 60 years will surpass the number of children under 5 years of age.
The senility trend has turned out to be a social problem all over the world.
The senility trend is becoming increasingly grave. This is on the one hand because of the long life which is common among the people due to the enhancement of medical treatment and their living standard, and on the other the decreasing tendency of birthrate in some countries while the birthrate is lower than the mortality, thereby the senility trend in the whole world.
Take the European countries and Japan for instance the phenomenon in which the birthrate is lower than the death rate has been continued for around a quarter of a century.
According to the present trend the number of the aged people will be doubled in the coming 50 years, an increase to around 2000 million from the present 600 million in all.
At present, around 60 of 190 countries in the world have stepped into the "senile pattern". Though to what extent will the old-aged country affect its comprehensive national strength and global competitiveness there is so far no definite conclusion yet.
However, the old-age trend will beyond doubt lead to aggravation of social burdens as a whole. As estimated by the year of 2025 the aged people of over 60 will see an increase of 37 million in European countries.
By then, "about one third of the population in Europe will be on the brink of retirement." For the moment, the retired take up some 27 percent of the total population in the EU countries, but up to 2050 the figure will come to take up 53 percent.
Likewise, Japan is also confronted with the same problem. By the year of 2050, the total population will be reduced to around 100 million from the less than 130 million at present with the working people decreasing from the present 79 million to 49 million by that time.
The expected life span of the people is on the rise while the age for retirement is getting earlier in many countries. About a century ago, most of the aged people worked almost up to the end of their lives but now in the US only 16 percent of the people at the age of 65 years old are still working and the suchlike people come only to 4 percent in Europe.
The senility has aggravated the social burdens and also landed the social insurance system of all countries in a quagmire.
For example, the social insurance and medical assurance systems in the USA have made the decision-makers and common people feel either concerned or greatly troubled. It's already difficult for the US economy to prop up the extensive social and medical insurance systems in the country.
By the year of 2030 as foretold the US government will be faced with a big chasm of financial deficit. If it's not going to cut the welfare scale the US federal government will have to face up with a budget increase from the present 19 percent of the GDP to 27.1 percent by the year of 2040.
The old-age tendance has become a concern of all countries in the world and opinions differ a great deal as how to deal with the senility challenge.
The International Monetary Fund holds: the best way to cope with the global old-age challenge is to put back the age of retirement.
As German expert suggests, during the period of 2011 to 2035 the age to get retired be raised from 65 to 67 years of age and the pension assurance be raised accordingly so as to solve the pension insufficiency.
With regard to Japan where it sees a more serious old-age problem, to guarantee the living standard of the aged the Japanese government has established a pension insurance system from the end of 1950s, that falls into three categories: national pension, pension for company employees and pension for government officials.
The national pension serves the basis of the pension system in Japan, which stipulates that all residents in Japan from the age of 20 and above to the age of 60 and below shall have to join in.
For individual rators and the non-employed they have to pay 13,300 Japanese yen a month as old-age pensions. For the company employees and civil officials they have to pay the national pension plus respectively that part of pension for company employees and for civil officials, namely a sum of 17.5 percent of their salaries and to be shared half and half by the employed and the employer. The compulsory measure for "national pension" helps ensure all Japanese who join the insurance for 25 consecutive years to get their pensions after 65 years of age.
Life is priceless.
In this viewpoint nothing will be more enthusiastic and happier than to enjoy a long life.
But how the quality of a prolonging life can be maintained?
And how to help the society that carries the life of mankind on will not be crushed down by the longevity?
This is really a severe challenge that deserves every country in the world to take a serious consideration and an active attitude to deal with.
People's Daily http://english.people.com.cn
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