First Ever Global Index To Measure Wellbeing Of Older People

HelpAge International and University of Southampton professor Asghar Zaidi have developed an index to measure the wellbeing of older people.

AsianScientist (Oct. 23, 2013) – University of Southampton professor Asghar Zaidi and HelpAge International have developed the Global AgeWatch Index to help highlight the varying quality of life and wellbeing that older people experience worldwide.

With the support of the United Nations Fund for Population, the Global AgeWatch Index 2013 focuses on the wellbeing of older people on a worldwide scale. The Index compares the experiences of older people from 91 countries worldwide and ranks them in order of quality of experience.

“The Global AgeWatch Index is the beginning of a process in which we are gathering all the available evidence of the lives of older people around the world,” said Zaidi.



The Index recognizes that income, health, personal capabilities and an enabling social environment are all important aspects of the wellbeing of older citizens. By analyzing national policies and strategies, results show that Japan ranks high in the best place for older people to live, while Afghanistan ranks the lowest together with Pakistan, Tanzania and Jordan. Australia ranked at 14th place.

The Index focuses on older people’s income security, health status, employment and education capabilities and the enabling environment of societies in which they live. It builds a strong case for better policies and services to improve their lives in many countries – especially in developing countries. 



By 2050 the number of older people in the world will have risen to more than two billion. The Index, and the two reports based on it (co-authored by professor Asghar Zaidi with HelpAge International staff) emphasize that such ‘stock taking’ work is absolutely essential in developing new ways to tackle the global challenge of population aging and to empower older people to hold their leaders to account.

“The world is rapidly aging: people over 60 years of age already exceed children under five, and by 2050 they will outnumber children under 15. However, the continual exclusion of aging from national and global agendas is one of the biggest obstacles to meeting the needs of the world’s aging population,” said Silvia Stefanoni, Interim CEO of HelpAge International.

“By giving us a better understanding of the quality of life of women and men as they age, this new Index can help us focus our attention on where things are going well and where we have to make improvements,” she said.

The Index does not simply demonstrate the best and worst places for people to grow old, but is also a tool to encourage countries to recognize the challenges of their aging populations. It reveals some surprising global and regional comparisons and indicates Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, a proxy for country’s wealth and standard of living, does not necessarily lead to better welfare outcomes for older people.

The fastest aging G20 countries – India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia and Turkey, where older populations are set to more than double over the next 40 years – are in the bottom half of the Index. Sri Lanka ranked at 36, which is much higher than its South Asian neighbor Pakistan, which ranked at 89, despite having similar levels of GDP. Sri Lanka scored significantly higher on age-friendly environment.

The report can be found at: Zaidi A et al. (2013) Global AgeWatch Index 2013: Insight Report, Summary And Methodology.

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Source: HelpAge International; Photo: maveric2003/Flickr/CC.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

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