Changes in Swiss ageing
Changes in Swiss ageing
Finding solutions to challenges associated with providing sound medical care to the elderly is especially important in industrialised countries like Switzerland where the population is ageing. In 2014, there were four Swiss between the ages of 20-64 for every one over the age of 65. In 1860, that ratio was 12 to 1.
The median age in Switzerland is increasing primarily because the birth rate is decreasing. Today, the average number of children per woman is about 1.5, compared to 2.5 in the 1940s and 1950s.
Part of the aging population phenomenon is also attributable to increased life expectancy, which has been rising globally over the last 50 years. The Swiss are some of the longest-lived people in the world: in 2014, the average life expectancy was 81 for Swiss men, and 85 for Swiss women.
