• Posted December 30, 2024

Singapore Is Ready for a Rapidly Aging Society, Study Says. What About the U.S.?

The United States is lagging behind dozens of nations in its preparation for dealing with its aging population.

The U.S. ranks 24 among 143 countries when it comes to ensuring seniors’ well-being, productivity and security, according to results published Dec. 27 in the journal Nature Aging.

By comparison, Switzerland tops the rankings, Singapore is at 10, and France, Australia, the U.K. and Japan all are better prepared than the U.S., researchers say.

This lack of preparation could mean hardship for less-well-off seniors in the U.S.

“Individuals with limited financial security may face serious challenges in accessing healthcare later in life,” lead researcher Cynthia Chen, an assistant professor with the National University of Singapore’s School of Public Health, said in a news release from the college.

“If health and social security systems remain insufficient to address the needs of older adults, the financial burden on individuals and their families could escalate, potentially leading to widespread economic consequences,” Chen added.

For the study, researchers developed a new measure called the Global Aging Index to assess the preparedness of countries to tackle the challenges posed by a graying population.

The index examines five key measures: well-being, productivity and engagement, equity, cohesion and security.

Results show that the U.S. ranks:

• 96 in seniors’ well-being, which includes measures of health coverage, healthy life expectancy and life satisfaction. The top countries were Singapore, Iceland, Switzerland, Japan and Sweden.

• 8 in productivity and engagement, which includes labor force participation, job retraining, volunteering and job satisfaction. Switzerland, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands scored best.

• 15 in equity, which includes education, income, food security and employment. Norway, Finland, Iceland, Denmark and Sweden were top-ranked.

• 28 in cohesion, which includes social support, trusting neighbors, not living alone, and access to the internet. Bahrain, U.A.E, Iceland, Spain and Ireland were tops in this domain.

• 16 in security, which includes income, pension, physical safety, good mental health and quality healthcare. Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Slovenia and Malta ranked best.

Overall, the Nordic countries of Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland top the Global Aging Index, results show.

“While high-income countries lead the rankings in readiness for a rapidly aging society, low- and middle-income nations trail behind,” Chen said.

“Although low- and middle-income countries often have younger populations today, many are expected to experience rapid population aging in the future,” Chen added.

Countries that get ahead of the curve and adapt to their aging populations will enjoy many benefits from their efforts.

“Countries can mitigate the growth in healthcare costs while harnessing the potential of older adults, whose experience and wisdom can contribute significantly to societies,” Chen explained.

“In the long run, this can lead to global societal benefits,” Chen concluded. “We hope our findings can help prioritize action for countries at all levels of development.”

More information

The World Health Organization (WHO) has more on aging and health.

SOURCE: Nature Aging, data, Dec. 27, 2024; National University of Singapore, news release, Dec. 27, 2024