What Is The Population Pyramid Like In The UK, Now And Projected Into The Future?
You can see for yourself, with projected future numbers (and compare with other countries), at the US census website. In 2000, about 21% of the population was under 20 years old. 23% of the population was age 60 or older, leaving about 56% of the population at working age, who mostly support the others. The projected figures (based on year 2000 immigration and reproduction trends), was that in the year 2025, still about 21% of the population would be under 20 years old, but almost 31% of the population will be age 60 or older. The middle, most productive traditional workers age, would be squeezed down to 48% of the population. This squeezing pressure on the working popultion is expected to be worse by the year 2050. The problem is not unique to the UK, with many European countries having even more imbalance beween workers and social dependents. One US economist is proposing that the expected retirement age (including in the USA) should be raised to 85 years.
