The Global AgeWatch Index has just been released, and it has ranked 96 countries according to how great they are in meeting the needs of their aging population.
The index, which is developed by HelpAge International, uses four criteria to compare nations. First is health, where the expected life expectancy is, on the average 60 years, and the seniors enjoy good physical and mental well-being.
They are also matched up based on income security such as income from pension coverage, poverty rate among older adults, welfare, and gross national income (GNI) per capita. The researchers also considered enabling environment, which covers social connections, civic freedom, safety, and accessibility to public transport. Lastly, they measured capability, or education and employment status of seniors.
Based on these factors, Europe dominated the top 10 spots with Switzerland taking first place. It scored highly in enabling environment specifically in transport accessibility, as well as in health, where it received a 97% mark on mental well-being among seniors. However, despite providing 100% pension coverage, the country has a high poverty rate in the older population.
Other European countries in the top 10 are Norway (2), Sweden (3), Germany (4), Netherlands (6), Iceland (7), and the United Kingdom (10). Canada places fifth while the United States takes the ninth spot. Japan is the only country in Asia to make it to the top 10 list.
On the other end of the spectrum, Afghanistan occupies the bottom spot, which scored poorly in almost all indicators. However, 7 of the last 10 are nations found in Africa, namely, Malawi (95), Mozambique (94), Tanzania (91), Zambia (90), Rwanda (89), and Uganda (88). The remaining countries at the bottom have been suffering from serious security instabilities: Iraq (87), West Bank and Gaza (93), and Pakistan (92).
The index will be helpful in helping nations achieve sustainability goals and their programs to end poverty by making sure the older population are not ignored.