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The world is ageing, both at an individual and a population level, and population ageing is truly a global phenomenon. The emergence of large numbers of centenarians has accompanied this development and the twenty-first century promises to be the century of centenarians. The number of centenarians in Europe increased from around 57,000 in 2006 to almost 90,000 in 2011. By 2100 the number is expected to reach around 1.4 million in England and Wales alone. This century of centenarians will be challenging in both the developed and the emerging economies. The trend has fundamental consequences for the way in which individuals view and live these ever-extending lives, but also for the way in which societal infrastructures (education, workplaces, housing, transport, and health and social care) will need to be adapted to the needs of extreme-aged populations. More importantly, perhaps, our perception of old age needs a dramatic reappraisal.

This article reports on analyses of familial solidarity and orientation and life enjoyment among 40- to 79-year-olds in urban areas of Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. Social, familial and personal factors affecting life enjoyment are analysed along with attitudes to familial solidarity and orientation in later life. Data are drawn from the Global Ageing Survey (GLAS), which includes approximately 1,000 people aged 40 to 79 from each country studied in this article. The results show that familial solidarity and orientation and life enjoyment are inversely affected by the pace of demographic change and economic development and by opportunity variables differently.

The world is ageing at both an individual and population levels and population ageing is truly a global phenomenon, the only notable region of exception being sub-Saharan Africa, which remains relatively young in demographic terms. At an individual level, life expectancies at birth have increased at the global level from 47 years in the mid-20th century to around 70 years today and are expected to rise to 76 years by the mid-21st century. At the population level, the proportion of the world's population aged 60 years and over has increased from 8 percent in the mid-20th century to 12 percent, and by 2050, it is expected to reach 21 percent. In Europe, ageing has continued at a slower rate, but with the emergence of increasing numbers of centenarians. This paper outlines the transition using data from England and Wales from a demography of young death in the mid-19th century to a demography of survival in the 20th century and on to the new demography of old death in the 21st century. The paper provides evidence that it is likely that ages at death will continue to increase, with more and more people reaching extreme old age. At the same time, it is likely that life expectancies at birth will continue to rise, taking life expectancy at birth in England and Wales to 100 years or more by the end of the 21st century. The new 21st century demography of death will lead to annual numbers of deaths far in excess of previous maxima.

The next 40 years … are projected to witness a veritable explosion in the number and proportion of older people in the region.

This book looks at retirement issues in Japan and South Korea in an era of population ageing. The book also outlines similarities between Japan and Korea as productivist regimes, which are distinct from countries characterized by liberal, corporatist-statist, and social democratic welfare capitalism. It also provides an overview and analysis on retirement in two countries and the future policy implications.

Health is one of the most important factors in one's life and it becomes a key concern among older adults across the globe. This may be a unique feature across different geographical regions of the world. Much has been written on the subjective health of older populations across many countries with a view to understanding the overall health situation among older adults. These studies are solely concentrated on either an individual country or a specific region within the country. More research is needed on global, regional as well as country perspectives to understand the health status and to tease out the common factors associated with the self-reported health. This will better enable cross-cultural comparisons. The principle aim of this study has been to investigate the correlates of self-rated health or self-reported health (SRH) among older adults both in Malaysia and Singapore. It examines how older adults perceive their own health and what factors are associated with the reporting of an individual's own health status. The study uses data collected in the HSBC Bank Ltd. global ageing study. Popularly known as the Future of Retirement Survey 2007, data were collected from 21,233 individuals aged between 40 and 79 years across 21 countries and territories in five major regions of the world. It is the largest global ageing survey of its kind that investigates attitudes towards later life, ageing and retirement. Each individual was asked a battery of structured questions regarding their socio-economic status, health conditions, social networks, saving and investments, and preparedness for retirement. In the present study, we found that health inequalities exist among older adults across the globe and that Singaporean adults enjoy healthier life than Malaysians. There exists a strong positive relationship between chronological age and poorer health outcome. Our analysis also demonstrates that the two countries have almost consistent results with regard to the influences of selected covariates on individual health. For example, poorer health is more prevalent among people with lower education; widowed, divorced and separated group; and those working in a blue collar occupation. These findings enhance our knowledge of older persons' health status, and in turn will be useful in making effective policy formulations for the governments of Malaysia and Singapore. Finally, some policy recommendations are made and future research directions are suggested.

There has been an increasing interest among social scientists with regard to the role of socioeconomic, demographic, cultural and political situations on the intergenerational financial and care transfers in the society. With the pace of rapid socioeconomic development, both population and society are now in transition in many parts of the world in which the traditional values and family dynamics are largely affected. Although some researchers attempted to explore the changing pattern of intergenerational transfers for specific geographical locations, however no global comparison has yet been made due to either inadequate data set or lack of information. Utilizing the data collected in the 2006 HSBC Global Ageing Study on the Future of Retirement, this study therefore attempts to examine important determinants of financial transfer as well as help & care transfer among individuals aged between 40 and 79 years residing across 21 countries and territories in five major regions of the world. In the present study, it has been found that respondent's age, gender, household size, health appraisal, education, employment status, marital status, contact with generation and geographical location are key factors affecting the event of either receiving or providing financial support as well as help & care support. In order to identify robust estimators, analyses have also been performed at various levels of hierarchy such as region and country. This enables us to make more effective conclusion not only on overall population but also on specific geographic settings. Finally, some policy recommendations and future research directions are made in the paper.

The older population is expected to increase globally both in terms of absolute and relative numbers and Bangladesh is no exception. In recent years, although Bangladesh has achieved considerable success in fertility reduction and gradual improvement in mortality, morbidity, human capital, and the economy, important questions remain: i) whether or not the debate on aging has really emerged as a demographic issue; ii) if so, what are the important issues that should be addressed? and iii) how should the country be prepared to face the challenges of aging in order to implement public policies? Therefore, the present article attempts to explore important issues of aging and their consequences in Bangladesh. The study uses data collected from a national representative primary source. The study provides some important findings. By now aging has emerged as a new demographic issue in Bangladesh as the absolute number of older people is very large and is expected to grow in the years to come. There will be more people widowed in old age. Despite recent socioeconomic changes, older people prefer to live with their loved ones, particularly married sons with grandchildren so they can spend time with them in later life. In turn, they also support families, both financially and voluntarily. The study also reveals that the traditional support system is gradually shifting downwards in Bangladesh and older people are seeking alternative financial and health care support from the government. Research is needed to understand the reality of older people, their well-being and security. People should be encouraged to support and accommodate their older parents or relatives as regular members of the family. The government should introduce an appropriate pension system and health insurance scheme to cover the vast majority of poor people who live in rural areas.