Trends in Global Working Age Populations (1950-2100)

IMF published a rapport 'Africa Rising: Harnessing the Demographic Dividend' which contains a very interesting overview of the working age demographic history from 1950 and forecasts until 2100. Especially note the big rising trend for Africa and the downward trends for the West.

IMF

Percent Of Population Over 65 (2011 Versus 1996)

The populations of the less developed countries are clearly younger than the western economies. Especially Japan and Germany have a big elderly population. Note the huge increase in Japan in the last 15 years. Bulgaria, Estonia and Latvia, noticable less prosperous than the most developed countries, are also in the top 15. South Korea and Ireland are relatively young in their population.

OECD: Official Versus Effective Retirement Age

The official retirement age is rarely equal to the effective retirement age, the average age the people actually retire. As you can see in this chart the official retirement age can be both higher and lower than the effective retirement age. What is the same for all countries is that the life expectancy was raised and that (assuming an equal or declining birth rate) the work force needs to finance more elderly people. A very reasonable option to do that is by raising the effective retirement age (with the official retirement age).

Japan and Sweden had the highest effective retirement age in 2010, while Austria, France and Belgium (and not Greece) had the lowest effective retirement age.

The Economist

Long Term Pension Age (OECD Countries)

OECD published this graph with the long term pension age in OECD countries. Denmark and Italy have their pension age linked to life expectancy, which means it will almost reach 69 in 2050. Iceland and Norway are already at 67, and increasingly more countries will reach that age in the next years. In some countries there are differences between woman and men.

OECD Pensions Outlook 2012

EU Old Age Dependency Ratio in 2060

This graph from Reuters shows the Old-age dependency ratio. That ratio shows the people being 65 and over for the countries in the EU as a percentage of the people between 15 and 64. A higher ratio means that the working force needs to finance a larger elderly population, compared to countries with a lower ratio. Reuters calls it the pressure on the productive population.

Reuters

Countries With Biggest Pension Assets As a Percentage of GDP

Not every country has as much pension assets. In the table presented here constructed by Towers Watson the 13 countries with the biggest pension assets in the world are shown. These pension assets are the money that pension funds have for current and future retirees. On average these countries had in 2011 pension assets of 72% of GDP. The Netherlands had relatively the most pension assets: 133% of GDP. France had relatively the least from the 13 countries with the most pension assets in the world: 5% of GDP. The United States has nominally by far the most pension assets in the world: 16 trillion dollar.

For future retirees these assets can ofcourse grow larger given some return if these assets are invested. The next graph shows the allocation of the assets for the 7 countries that had the biggest pension assets in 2011. On average (world) these countries had their assets invested for 41% in equity, 37% in bonds, 20% in other and 2 percent they held in cash. The Anglo-Saxon countries had relatively more invested in equity compared to Japan, Netherlands and Switzerland. The Netherlands and Japan held a relatively high share of the assets in bonds, while Switzerland held a relatively high share in other.

Tower Watson

Elderly/Population in 2007 and 2040

This chart shows the population aging as the elderly (aged 60 and over), as a percentage of the population in a country for 2007 and 2040. Japan and the Western European countries have the biggest aging problems and in the United States, United Kingdom and the BRIC countries have relatively less problems.

This graph shows the growth in total public benefits to the elders from 2007 to 2040 as a percentage of the countries' GDP. Spain, Brazil and the Netherlands see the highest increase in the costs of public benefits to the elderly.

CSIS

World Population In Graphs

Reuters posted this interesting infographic with several graphs concerning the world population. The United Nations projected that the seventh billion person was born on Monday October the 31st. As you can see population growth as exploded in the 20th century. The speed of the growth seems to decline though with fertility rates declining all over the world.

Who Holds the United States National Debt

The Washington Post made this graph with the holders of the United States 14 trillion national debt.

• 5.7 Trillion: The biggest part of the cake is hold by United States government institutions, like the Medical Trust Fund, the Social Security Fund and the Federal Reserve.
• 4.4 Trillion is hold by foreign investors.
• 3.9 Trillion is hold by other investors.

Washington Post

Percentage of Population Aged 65+ in Developed and Emerging Nations

This great chart from Business Insider pictures the Dependency ratio's, in other words, the percent of the population aged above 65 years in some emerging, Asian and Latin American countries.

Business Insider

Huge Inforgraphic: The Working World

Among other things the following economic indicators are compared: Tax rates, Retirement Age, Vacation Days, Per capita income, Number of hours worked per week:

Click on the picture!

Social Cast

Has America a large elderly population?

The next picture from the Washington Post shows why this is a myth..

Bron: The Washington Post

Public Sector Pensions in the United States

This graph shows situation of the States' Public Sector Pensions, with thirty-one states below 80 percent funded threshold for a well-funded pension system.

Source: Financial Times