Policy Brief NATIONAL POPULATION COUNCIL NATIONAL POPULATION No. III September, 2014 COUNCIL Population Ageing in Ghana and its Implications 1. Introduction countries. Given that the rate of growth of older populations in developing countries is far higher ver the past decade population ageing has than that of developed countries it is expected that become one of the most fundamental issues The population of any O over time, majority of the world’s aged will live in of our time. Persons aged 60 years and over already country is described as developing country. constitute over 11 per cent of the world population ageing when the median and by 2050 the proportion of the population aged age of that population 3. Trends and Future Growth of 60 years and over will account for 21.1 percent of the is rapidly increasing, Ageing Population in Ghana. global population. While all countries are experiencing resulting in a gradual shift ageing of their populations, the phenomenon is he 2010 Population and Housing Census showed in the age structure of happening most rapidly in developing countries Tthat although the proportion of older persons that population in favour (60+ years) decreased from 7.2 percent in 2000 to of older persons. where 60 per cent of the world’s older people live (United Nations Population Division, 2012). 6.7 percent in 2010, in terms of absolute numbers Globally, the population aged 60 years and over there has been a sevenfold increase in the population is expected to almost triple, from 841 million in of the aged from 215,258 in 1960 to 1,643,978 in 2013 to two billion in 2050. These older cohorts 2010. The proportion of the female elderly population The 2010 Population will outnumber all children under the age of 14 by is 56 per cent compared with 44 per cent for males. and Housing Census 2050, thus exceeding the number of young people Thus, even though Ghana’s population remains largely showed that although in the world for the first time in history. According youthful, consisting of a large proportion of children the proportion of older to experts, the trend towards older populations is under 15 years of age (reported at 44.5 percent in persons (60+ years) largely irreversible, with young populations unlikely 1960; 46.9 percent in 1970; 45 percent in 1984; 41.3 decreased from 7.2 to occur again. percent in 2000 and 38.3 percent in 2010), the size percent in 2000 to This policy brief explains the concept of ageing, of the elderly population has been growing. 6.7 percent in 2010, and presents trends in population ageing globally and Life expectancy at birth has also improved in terms of absolute in Ghana. It further discusses the health and economic dramatically since independence, increasing from numbers there has been implications of a growing proportion of the aged an estimated 45.5 years in 1960 to 48.6 and 52.7 a sevenfold increase in population in Ghana and makes recommendations years respectively in 1970 and 1984 (representing the population of the for policy and programmatic interventions and an increase of 4.1 years over a period of 14 years). aged from 215,258 in for mainstreaming ageing in national development In 2010, the Ghana Statistical Service reported life 1960 to 1,643,978 frameworks. expectancy of 60.7 years for males and 61.8 years in 2010 for females. 2. Concept of Ageing 4. Implications of Population n many parts of the developing world, the definition Ageing. Iof ageing is the combination of chronology, change in social role (i.e. change in work patterns, adult he pace of population ageing is progressing faster As more and more status of children and menopause) and change in Tin developing countries. As a result, developing people live longer as capabilities (i.e. invalid status, senility and change in countries will have less time to prepare for, and a result of Ghana’s physical characteristics). adjust to, the consequences of population ageing. improving socio- The population of any country is described as Unlike developed countries, people in developing economic situation, the ageing when the median age of that population is countries will become old before they become rich necessary laws, policies, rapidly increasing, resulting in a gradual shift in the as population ageing is taking place at the lower levels institutions, strategies age structure of that population in favour of older of socio-economic development than is the case for and programmes that persons. This is a consequence of a number of factors, developed countries. This has several implications have been put in place including declining fertility, decreasing premature for the aged population and the socio-economic must be made to work deaths and prolonged life expectancies. development of developing countries. to enable this important In developed countries, the population ageing This following section discusses the health, social, segment of the is not a new phenomenon whilst in developing economic and labour implications of population population contribute to countries, it is a recent occurrence. Currently, the ageing in Ghana. national development most aged populations are in developed countries but majority of the older persons live in developing Table1: Population of elderly, 1960-2050 Age 1960 1970 1984 2000 2010 2020* 2030* 2040* 2050* 60-64 118,039 146,378 225,776 366,351 475,849 667,892 989,840 1,418,131 1,911,096 65-69 60,958 94,218 145,309 258,709 293,871 475,550 728,508 1,065,316 1,513,288 70-74 56,529 82,392 128,866 225,158 351,330 363,517 489,350 743,971 1,090,699 75-79 30,961 42,262 71,813 144,830 205,953 219,708 284,338 451,772 681,441 80+ 61,107 205,164 341,533 370,243 316,378 175,553 221,084 306,408 485,014 Total 327,594 570,414 913,297 1,365,291 1,643,381 1,902,220 2,713,120 3,985,598 5,681,538 Source: Ghana Statistical Service, Census Report and * National Population Council 2014 (Projections) 4.1 Health 4.4 Sustaining Social Security Issues A growing population of older persons comes with an increase in The public sector employment constitutes about six percent (6.3%), degenerative and non-communicable diseases such as high blood private formal seven percent (7%) and private informal approximately pressure, diabetes, cancers and cardiac related diseases. The Ghana 87 percent (86.7%) of the total workforce in Ghana, (GSS, 2013). The Health Service lists hypertension, skin diseases, diarrhoea, acute eye and vast majority of Ghanaians who work in the private informal sector ear infections, rheumatic and joint diseases among the top 20 diseases retire without any social security. The sector is also dominated by affecting Ghanaians (GHS, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010). women because of the limited skills, education and capital required Figure 1 shows the number of reported cases of these diseases for to operate in that sector. Older persons in Ghana, particularly women 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2012. The chart clearly shows that the number of are more likely to depend on others, given lower literacy and higher reported cases of these diseases have been increasing over the years. incidence of widowhood. This maybe as a result of the increase in the number of population An additional challenge is the changing family structure and shrinking aged 60 years and above. According to Ayernor (2012), in his paper social support networks. The extended family support system that on “Diseases of Ageing in Ghana”, he states that the prevalence of previously provided safety nets for its members particularly during old chronic non-communicable diseases among the elderly in the country age is fast breaking down due to out-migration, growth of “individualism” will increase and that chronic non-communicable diseases will have in modern industrial life, the materialistic thinking among the younger significant health and economic implications for the individual, family generation, and eroding incomes of household members, making even and the country. working family members incapable of adequately caring for their ageing It is obvious that as the size of the population of older persons or older relations. increases, the health challenges would be enormous and would require priority attention in the country. Healthcare cost in the country will 5. Policy Interventions therefore continue to rise as demand for health care increases with everal national policy documents as well as social protection an ageing population. Furthermore since many of the aged will be Sprogrammes and projects have been instituted to provide for the at the lower ends of the socio economic strata they will depend needs of the aged in Ghana. These include heavily on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) making it The 1992 Republican Constitution of Ghana, the Ghana Shared an expensive venture Growth and Development Agenda 2010-2013, the National Population 4.2 Economic Policy (Revised Edition, 1994), the National Ageing Policy (2010), the National Health Insurance Act 2003 (Act 650), and the National Social A population with a substantial proportion being aged has implications Protection Strategy. for the size and composition of its labour force, their participation in Article 37(2) (b) of the 1992 Republican Constitution of Ghana, economic activities as well as the economic growth of the country. states that the “state shall enact appropriate laws to For instance, older people tend to work less, meaning that they offer assure the protection and promotion of all other basic less labor, productivity and capital to economies. Similarly, the capacity human rights and freedoms, including the rights of the to save may diminish with age, which could impact on the generation disabled, the aged, children and other vulnerable groups of savings in the economy as a greater number of persons grow older.