Belarus ranks 60 on the life quality of the aged

Even though the analysis covers only 91 country out of 193, the countries included into the analysis depict 89 per cent of the world population over 60 years old.

International Public Organization HelpAge International issued yet another Global AgeWatch Index, which is focused mainly on the life quality of the aged. Having analyzed the data from 91 country, the researches placed Sweden first and Afghanistan the last.

Belarus in this index ranks 60. According to the researchers, our country along with Poland is ranked lowest on health in the region, at 80. There is a low healthy life expectancy at 60 of 13.6 years and a life expectancy at 60 of 18 years.

However, it ranks higher in the income security domain at 44, with 151.4% of people over 65 receiving a pension (over 100 indicates that pension coverage starts before age 65). By the year 2050 people aged 60 and over will make up 32.2% of the country.

The researchers also believe that old people in Belarus has higher life quality than those in other CIS countries. Thus, Ukraine is placed 66 in the Index and Russia occupies 78^th place.

Today Japan is the only country where 30% of the population is over 60; by 2050, 64 countries will join this club including Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam, Jordan and Nicaragua, the Index says. It also notifies that there are now more people over 60 than children under 5, in just two generations there will be more people over 60 than under 15.

The Global AgeWatch Index 2013 brings together a unique set of internationally comparable data based on older people's income status, health status, education and employment, and enabling environment. These domains have been selected because they were identified by older people and policy makers alike as key enablers of older people's wellbeing.

The Index is the first ever tool to measure the quality of life and wellbeing of older people around the world. It responds to the urgent need to tackle the poverty and discrimination faced by the growing numbers of older people across the globe and demonstrates there is much to do.

 This time the Index was timed to the International Day of Older Persons, which is celebrated on October 1.