Latest news with #ageingpopulation
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Malaysian voters deserve more than theatrics, where's the discourse on pressing issues? Rafizi asks after ‘Turun Anwar' rally
KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 — Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli has today slammed the Opposition after its 'Turun Anwar' rally yesterday, saying Malaysian voters deserve more than political theatrics. The Pandan MP said he hopes more politicians will focus on tackling the country's pressing issues rather than merely attempting to change the government. 'In a country like Malaysia, we are faced with political issues almost every day. But rarely do we hear enough discourse on problems that will affect Malaysia in the long term,' he told reporters after launching his Ayuh Malaysia campaign here. 'Take, for example, the issue of an ageing population, that's something I wish we heard more about from both the government and the Opposition, whether at rallies like 'Turun Anwar' or in Parliament. The former economy minister conceded that local politics has historically revolved around changing governments and the pursuit of power — leading many political parties to be stuck on the matter. 'But I do hope they realise that whoever ends up in power will have to deal with this massive challenge. 'The public deserves better, we need to hear more about how they plan to tackle it,' he added, when asked about the rally. Rafizi said that without concrete solutions to long-term issues, the daily political drama means little to ordinary Malaysians who just want to get on with their lives. 'That's why I don't take too much interest in the day-to-day political drama, who's more popular, who's gaining or losing support, or whether someone has the numbers to form a new government. 'To me, unless both sides can present concrete solutions and focus on the long-term issues facing the public, many fence-sitters and indeed, the majority of us who just want to get on with our lives, will continue to tune out,' he added. Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim reiterated his administration's commitment to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, following the 'Turun Anwar' rally in the capital that drew an estimated 18,000 participants. The rally was organised by Opposition figures and civil society groups backing them, ostensibly to protest against the rising cost of living and demand political accountability.
The Independent
7 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Rise in people living alone in UK driven entirely by over-65s
A rise in the number of people living alone in the UK in the past decade has been entirely driven by an increase in older people residing on their own. In 2024, there were an estimated 4.3 million people aged over 65 living alone, up from 3.5 million in 2014, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. This age group accounted for just over half (51.1%) of all people living alone last year, compared with 45.5% in 2014. The statistics body said: ' People aged 65 years or over accounted in full for the increase in people living alone in 2024 compared with 2014.' There were around 4.1 million people aged under 65 years old living alone in both 2014 and 2024, the ONS said, adding that the 'increasing proportions of people living alone in older age groups reflects an ageing population'. A higher proportion of women aged 65 or over in households lived alone (40.9%) than men of the same age (27%), which the ONS said is partly because of women having a higher life expectancy than men. The latest data from the ONS estimated there were 8.4 million people living alone in the UK in 2024, up 11% from 7.6 million in 2014. Meanwhile, the proportion of young adults in the UK living with their parents has grown by almost 10% in a decade. Young men – aged between 20 and 34 years old – were more likely to be at home with their parents than women in the same age group in 2024, according to the ONS. There were an estimated 3.6 million people in this age group in a family with their parent or parents in 2024, up 9.9% from 3.3 million in 2014, the ONS said. While a third (33.7%) of men in this age group lived with parents, this compared to less than a quarter (22.1%) of women. The ONS said more young adults living with their parents at older ages is part of a 'trend of adults reaching milestones later in life' and may be 'explained by a number of factors including increased housing costs'. The latest statistics also showed that lone-parent families were less likely to contain dependent children in 2024 – 62.5%, down from just over two thirds or 66.1% in 2014. The proportion of lone parents who are fathers has grown, from 13.1% a decade ago, to 16.7% last year. While married couples still made up the largest proportion of families in the latest estimates, this has decreased to 65.1% last year from 67.1% in 2014. The ONS said this was down to more couples living together without getting married.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Rise in people living alone in UK driven entirely by over-65s
A rise in the number of people living alone in the UK in the past decade has been entirely driven by an increase in older people residing on their own. In 2024, there were an estimated 4.3 million people aged over 65 living alone, up from 3.5 million in 2014, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. This age group accounted for just over half (51.1%) of all people living alone last year, compared with 45.5% in 2014. The statistics body said: 'People aged 65 years or over accounted in full for the increase in people living alone in 2024 compared with 2014.' There were around 4.1 million people aged under 65 years old living alone in both 2014 and 2024, the ONS said, adding that the 'increasing proportions of people living alone in older age groups reflects an ageing population'. A higher proportion of women aged 65 or over in households lived alone (40.9%) than men of the same age (27%), which the ONS said is partly because of women having a higher life expectancy than men. The latest data from the ONS estimated there were 8.4 million people living alone in the UK in 2024, up 11% from 7.6 million in 2014. Meanwhile, the proportion of young adults in the UK living with their parents has grown by almost 10% in a decade. Young men – aged between 20 and 34 years old – were more likely to be at home with their parents than women in the same age group in 2024, according to the ONS. There were an estimated 3.6 million people in this age group in a family with their parent or parents in 2024, up 9.9% from 3.3 million in 2014, the ONS said. While a third (33.7%) of men in this age group lived with parents, this compared to less than a quarter (22.1%) of women. The ONS said more young adults living with their parents at older ages is part of a 'trend of adults reaching milestones later in life' and may be 'explained by a number of factors including increased housing costs'. The latest statistics also showed that lone-parent families were less likely to contain dependent children in 2024 – 62.5%, down from just over two thirds or 66.1% in 2014. The proportion of lone parents who are fathers has grown, from 13.1% a decade ago, to 16.7% last year. While married couples still made up the largest proportion of families in the latest estimates, this has decreased to 65.1% last year from 67.1% in 2014. The ONS said this was down to more couples living together without getting married.
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Australian employers view their older workforce with contempt. They need to understand 70s are the new 50s
Hey recruiters, get with the program: 70s are the new 50s. Australians, just like in wealthy societies all around the world, are living and staying healthier for longer. You'd think this would be great news, but no. We are told that an ageing population is an albatross around the neck of our economy and a curse on our budget. It doesn't have to be this way but it will require smart policymaking to make the most of a willing and able older workforce. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email It will also require employers not to be such bloody dills. This week, a survey by the Australian HR Institute and the Australian Human Rights Commission found that nearly one-quarter of employers classify over-50s as 'old'. To see just how ridiculous this is, consider that somebody who works for 45 years and retires at age 67 will have been considered 'old' for 17 years. That's nearly 40% of their working lives! Like all opinions rooted in discrimination, all this defies reason. A new article from the International Monetary Fund shows just how out of date these views are. The IMF has looked at data across 41 countries and found that a person who was 70 years old in 2022 had the same cognitive health scores as a 53-year-old at the turn of the century. Unsurprisingly, this spectacular improvement in mental acuity went hand-in-hand with people staying in better physical shape into their 60s, 70s and beyond. 'Better health means better labour market outcomes,' the IMF economists Bertrand Gruss and Diaa Noureldin noted. Gruss and Noureldin show that enlightened policies – such as a focus on ongoing training and more incentives to keep people in the workforce longer – can offset three-quarters of the expected drag from ageing on the world economy over the coming decades. 'Over a decade, the cumulative improvement in cognitive capacities experienced by someone aged 50 or over is associated with an increase of about 20 percentage points in the likelihood of remaining in the labour force,' they write. 'It's also associated with an additional six hours worked per week and a 30% increase in earnings. All this could mitigate ageing's drag on growth.' Treasury's intergenerational reports have increasingly focused the minds of Australians on the budget implications of an ageing population. As useful as these reports have been to inform the current debate around taxation reform, they may also have fed a narrative of drooling oldies who need to be propped through their autumn years by vibrant and athletic under-50s. If the IMF is right, that trite adage that 'demography is destiny' is, to a large degree, wrong. As ever, our destiny is what we make of it.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Swiss Re on China Life & Healthcare Opportunities
Paul Murray, CEO Life & Health Reinsurance at Swiss Re, discusses what China's ageing population means for the group's strategy in its third largest market. He speaks with Yvonne Man and David Ingles on Bloomberg: The China Show. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
