In many developing countries, the rapid ageing of the population is viewed as an obstacle to the implementation of significant social policies and social security benefits (retirement pension plans, sickness insurance or medicare). A commonly held view is that developing countries age faster than developed countries and the faster the ageing, the heavier the burden to the society. Although this statement is true, the forecasted population ageing in developing countries will remain modest for the next two or three decades in comparison with the ageing level already reached in developed countries. In many developing countries, ageing, paradoxically, is accompanied by a substantial decrease in the dependency ratio. This ratio--the ratio of dependent young and elderly to the adult population--first declines with the fall in fertility before later increasing as the population ages. The rapid and significant fall in fertility together with the still modest increase in the number of old people modifies the age structure of the population in favour of young adults: producing the demographic window. As a result, working-age adults will support a relatively low social burden for the next two or three decades. This situation gives developing countries a rare opportunity to implement fundamental social policies that can be the foundation of sustainable development before they face inescapable and unprecedented fast ageing.

This International Conference will bring together demographers and population economists from Western and Asian countries, to exchange the latest scientific knowledge on population dynamics, the change in population age structure and its impact on economic and social development. The Conference to be organized by IUSSP and Asian MetaCentre will be held in Beijing on May 10-11, 2004 and hosted by the Center for Healthy Aging and Family Studies at Peking University.

An edited volume will be produced after the Conference.

A pre-meeting “Demographic Window and Population Aging: Challenges and Opportunities” is organized by the University of Hong Kong in collaboration with the University of Roma “La Sapienza” in Hong-Kong SAR on May 8, 2004 (Contact: Siu Lan Karen Cheung, slk.cheung@uniroma1.it).

Scientific and Organizing committee:

Jean-Marie Robine (INSERM, University of Montpellier, Chair of the IUSSP Committee on Health and Longevity),

Jacques Vallin (INED, Paris, IUSSP President),

Zeng Yi (Peking University and Duke University),

Wolfgang Lutz (IIASA, former IUSSP General Secretary, Asian MetaCentre Principal Investigator),

Shripad Tuljapurkar (Stanford University, Chair of the IUSSP Committee on Age Structure),

Angelique Chan (National University of Singapore, Asian MetaCentre),

Vipan Prachuabmoh (Chulalongkorn University, Asian MetaCentre Principal Investigator),

Kua Wongboonsin (Chulalongkorn University, Asian MetaCentre),

Naohiro Ogawa (Nihon University),

Edward JC Tu (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology),

 

IUSSP Contact: Isabelle Romieu, iromieu@valdorel.fnclcc.fr

Peking University Local Contact: Yuzhi Liu, yuzhil@pku.edu.cn

Media Contacts : Christine Uong, ocioa1@msn.com ; christineuong@ocioa.org

 

Sponsors: The International Conference on the Demographic Window and Healthy Ageing is an IUSSP and Asian MetaCentre event (in collaboration with Peking University and Overseas Chinese Institute on Aging). The Conference will be supported under the Wellcome Trust Grant to the Asia MetaCentre, the IUSSP and other donors.