Kosovo still young, Serbia aging

Improved health care, better food, living conditions, and many other factors are the reason for increasing rates of people over 65 in almost all countries of the world.

In short, the world is aging, but so is the population in the Western Balkan region.

Although only a few tenths of the world's population are seen on a global scale over 65 years of age, in many countries, this percentage is much higher and reaches over a third of a country's inhabitants.

Demographic statistics on population age are important in many ways by organising and planning pension funds, building institutions for human care, hospital treatment, etc.

Next, T RT Balkan provides a mirror of the percentage of the elderly population in the world, in the European Union and in the Balkan region.

Region data from various sources

As for the percentage of residents older than 65+ in the Western Balkans region, the global statistical organisation Statista has data on Serbia, Montenegro and Northern Macedonia, but not for Kosovo, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, so data should be requested for them from other sources.

According to Statista, Serbia has the highest percentage of the elderly population in the Western Balkans by 21.3 percent of the population over 65. Montenegro has 15.9 percent of the total population, which is older than 65 years old, while according to Statista's North Macedonia data, 14.8 percent of the population is older than 65.

However, if new statistical data from last year's population census and published this year is analysed, it is up to the record that the population is <x0.0.25x1> and is now 17.1 percent of residents over 65 years old.

According to the statistical organisation Knoem, Albania has 15.2 percent of its population over 65 and Bosnia and Herzegovina 18.5 percent, meaning that if the data is accurate, it is right behind Serbia in terms of the elderly population.

According to a third source, Kosovo has the newest population in the region. According to Index Mundi, Kosovo has only 7.75 per cent of the population over 65 years of age.

Japan has 86,000 people over 100 years of age.

Among the larger countries, Japan has always taken the lead in the percentage of residents aged 65 and older. Believe it or not, there are over 86,000 centenarians in the country. In Japan, although 29.8 percent of people - or almost a third - are elderly, the island is not in the first place.

Monaco has over 36 percent of its population over the age of 65, listing the world's first percentage of elderly residents as a percentage of the total population.

Italy has oldest population in EU

Within the European Union, Italy has the highest percentage of the elderly population, 23.5 percent of the population. Finland next comes at 22.7 percent, followed by Greece at 22.5 percent.

A total of 16 countries on European soil have over 20 percent elderly people.

Of countries in Europe, Luxembourg (14.6 percent) and Türkiye (9.7 percent) marked the lowest percentage of elderly.

According to forecasts by the World Health Organization, by 2050, low - and medium - income countries will be home to 80 percent of the world's elderly population. To raise awareness of this subject, the General Assembly of the United Nations has proclaimed the time period between 2021 and 2030 as the “Decade of healthy aging”.

The initiative aims to reduce health inequalities and improve the lives of the elderly, families and their communities through collective action”.