AMMAN — Senior citizens comprise about 6.1 percent of Jordan's population, a
figure set to rise to 7.7 percent by 2030, said Abla Amawi, Secretary-General
of the
Higher Population Council (HPC), said on Wednesday.
اضافة اعلان
Citing official figures and projections, Amawi said that seniors above 60 are
expected to make up 13.5 percent of the Jordan's total population by 2050,
which, according to Amawi, means that the Kingdom will have entered an
"aging society" stage.
Speaking at a workshop on integrating the elderly in decision-making, organized
in cooperation with the
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the HPC Secretary-General noted that when non-Jordanians
are taken into account, seniors comprise 5.4 percent of the nation's total
population according to 2020 figures.
She stressed the need for an institutional social protection mechanism for the
elderly, and to invest in this age group's potential and capabilities.
Amawi pointed out that Jordan has recorded a significant increase in life
expectancy at birth since 1961. According to figures issued by the Department
of Statistics, the number of years added to life expectancy topped 19.3 years
since 1961, when it was at 54 years compared to 73.3 years in 2019.
She said this requires revising the national definition of the elderly segment,
in order to ensure that these additional years are productive years in national
legislation, strategies and policies.
ESCWA's regional adviser on population affairs, Sarah Salman, said that the
number of people over the age of 60 is expected to exceed 100 million by 2050
in the world.
She said that in Jordan, the aging society stage, which is
the stage in which the proportion of the elderly rises from 7 to 14 percent of
the population, is expected to begin in 2035, and it will be a very fast
process that will last about two decades.
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