B2 lesson on ageing populations, demographic pressure and the economic impact of a growing senior population.
B2DemographicsData Reading
Before you read
This lesson looks at countries where people aged 65 and over make up a large share of the population. Students practise reading a data-based article and talking about ageing societies.
Warm-up
1. Why are many countries getting older?
2. What problems can an ageing population create for governments?
3. What positive contributions can older people make to society?
Read the adapted B2 text. Reveal answers in the white boxes and highlight exact evidence in the text.
The world is getting older. In some countries, people aged 65 and over already represent more than a quarter of the population. The Visual Capitalist ranking compares countries by the percentage of residents who are 65 or older, using World Bank data.
Monaco has the highest share of seniors, with 36.17% of residents aged 65 or above. This means that more than one in three people living there are seniors. Monaco is a clear outlier compared with the rest of the ranking.
Japan ranks second, with 29.78% of its population aged 65 or older, making it the oldest major economy in the list. Japan has experienced decades of low birth rates and long life expectancy, which have changed the shape of its population.
Many of the countries near the top are in Europe. Italy, Portugal, Greece, Finland, Germany and Croatia all have more than one in five residents aged 65 or older. Europe dominates the ageing rankings because of below-replacement fertility and rising life expectancy.
The ranking also includes places outside Europe, such as Puerto Rico, Hong Kong and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These examples show that population ageing is not only a European issue, although it is especially concentrated there.
Ageing populations can create economic challenges. When the balance between workers and retirees shifts, a smaller working-age population can slow growth and increase demand for pensions, healthcare and long-term care. Employers may need to keep older workers, use automation or find new ways to deal with labour shortages.
Questions
1. What does the ranking compare?
It compares countries by the percentage of residents aged 65 or older.
2. Which country has the highest share of seniors?
Monaco has the highest share, with 36.17% of residents aged 65 or above.
3. Why is Japan important in the ranking?
Japan ranks second and is the oldest major economy in the list.
4. Why does Europe dominate the ageing rankings?
Because many European countries have below-replacement fertility and rising life expectancy.
5. What economic problems can ageing populations create?
They can slow growth and increase demand for pensions, healthcare and long-term care.
Vocabulary
Exercise 1: Key meanings
Click an answer. It turns green if correct and red if incorrect.
1. What does senior mean in this article?
a senior manager in a company
a person aged 65 or older
a young person in education
2. What does outlier mean?
a country in the middle of a ranking
a person who retires early
a result that is very different from the others
3. What does below-replacement fertility mean?
birth rates too low to keep the population stable without migration
more children than older people in every country
a government policy that replaces old workers
4. What does working-age population mean?
all retired people in a country
people who are generally old enough and young enough to work
people who work only in healthcare
Exercise 2: Complete the sentences
1. Countries with many older residents may face more pressure on ______.
tourism and restaurants
sports and entertainment
pensions and healthcare
2. A country with a very unusual result can be described as an ______.
outlier
estimate
employer
3. If fewer people are available to work, a country may experience labour ______.
celebrations
shortages
retirements
4. Longer lives and low birth rates can change a country’s ______ structure.
advertising
musical
demographic
Advanced Grammar: Hedging and cause–effect data commentary
Advanced data commentary often uses hedging, nominalisation and complex cause–effect clauses.
Hedging: The figures suggest that ageing is especially concentrated in Europe. / This trend is likely to put pressure on public services. Cause and effect:As life expectancy rises and fertility falls, the proportion of seniors increases. Nominalisation: Low birth rates and longer lives are leading to the ageing of the population. Concession:Although ageing can increase pension costs, older people may also contribute through work, volunteering and family support.
Exercise 1: Choose the most academic form
1. The data ______ that Europe is strongly represented among ageing countries.
says
suggests
tells
2. A smaller working-age population is ______ place pressure on pension systems.
probable to
likely
likely to
3. ______ many countries are ageing rapidly, the pace of change is not the same everywhere.
Although
Despite
However
4. ______ the rise in life expectancy, governments may need to rethink healthcare planning.
Because
Due to
As
Exercise 2: Upgrade the sentence
Rewrite each sentence using more advanced grammar. Try to use hedging, nominalisation or subordination.
1. Europe has many old countries. This is because birth rates are low and people live longer. Use appears to be linked to.
Europe’s high share of ageing countries appears to be linked to low birth rates and longer life expectancy.
2. There are fewer workers. Pension systems are under pressure. Use as.
As the working-age population shrinks, pension systems come under greater pressure.
3. Ageing creates costs. Older people can still contribute to society. Use although.
Although ageing can create higher public costs, older people can still contribute significantly to society.
4. The population is ageing. This changes the economy. Use a noun phrase with ageing.
The ageing of the population is changing the structure of the economy.
Exercise 3: Sentence transformation
1. Rewrite using whereas: Japan has 29.8% seniors. India has 7.2% seniors.
Japan has about 29.8% seniors, whereas India has only 7.2%.
2. Rewrite using is likely to: A larger retired population will increase demand for healthcare.
A larger retired population is likely to increase demand for healthcare.
3. Rewrite using despite + noun phrase: The country has a high share of seniors, but its economy remains strong.
Despite its high share of seniors, the country’s economy remains strong.
Discussion
Talk about it
1. What challenges might an older population create in your country?
2. Should retirement ages rise as life expectancy rises?
3. How can countries support older people while keeping the economy strong?
4. Is an ageing population only a problem, or can it also be an opportunity?
Useful language
Describing data: The ranking shows that...
Comparing: X has a higher/lower share than Y.
Explaining causes: This may be due to...
Discussing consequences: This could lead to...
Mini presentation
Choose one country from the ranking and give a one-minute explanation of why its ageing population matters.
