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While in Europe the Average Age is Approximately 44 Years, in Italy it is Over 48 with the Highest Number of Over 65 Still Engaged in Work.
According to Eurostat data, the EU Statistics office, in January 2022, the average age of the population of the old continent was 44.4 years, with a percentage increase of 0.3 points compared to the previous year. First in the ranking with the highest average age is Italy, with 48 years, far higher than that of all the other 26 countries considered and Italy is also the nation with the ratio between the elderly and people in working age of 37%, considerated the highest ever.
According to analysts, the general average age has increased by 2.5 years, from 41.9 years recorded in 2012, to 44.4 in the last survey, and from 38.3 years in the population of Cyprus to 48 in the ‘Italy, followed by countries such as Portugal with 46.8 years and by Greece, whose national average of seniority stands at 46.1, in any case above the continental one.
The only country where there has been a decrease in the average of the population age over the years is Sweden, with a decrease, albeit slight, from 40.8 years in 2012 to 40.7 in 2022, in clear contrast with the growth rate recorded throughout Europe. In Portugal, on the other hand, the greatest growth was recorded with an average of 4.7 years more than in previous surveys, also ahead of Italy where, despite the record, growth stood at 4 years more. In just the 2 years affected by the pandemic, then, there has been a decrease in the average age in Germany and growth in Greece and the Czech Republic.
In 2022, the ratio between the number of over 65s and that of the working age population ranging from 15 to 64 in Europe also increased. The increase was particularly evident in the order of 5.9 percentage points from the measurements of 2012. In all European countries the percentage of the dependency ratio of the elderly, with this growth, stands at 20% but in Italy, before also in this ranking, it is 37.5%, followed by Finland and Portugal, with percentages of 37.4% and 37.2% respectively. The lowest average, for this criterion instead, belongs to Luxembourg, with 21.3%, Ireland and Cyprus with 23.1% and 24.5%. Finland, Poland, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic are the countries that in the last 10 years of surveys have experienced the greatest increase in the ratio between the elderly and individuals of working age.
The situation described by the statistics of the European Office is already known above all in Italy which has always had a high number of elderly people in its territory, due to a continuously declining demographic growth. To accompany the data related to the Italian average age, there are also those relating to the longevity recorded in the area which has always been at very high levels, particularly in the Italian regions where the quality of life has always been considered superior.
In rich countries in Europe, people aged between 65 and 74 usually live in good health and benefit, like younger individuals, from a certain social inclusion, which is essential for a good quality of life. The first signs of both physical and social malaise are found after the age of 75 with a significant increase in dependence on third parties. On the basis of similar data, therefore, the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics has suggested officially moving the onset of old age to 75, so as to respect an adaptation to the current era. In this way, the under 75s would have the opportunity to participate in social life in a more active way considering themselves, to all intents and purposes, not yet elderly.