Aging populations are the most significant factor in population change in MEDCs.

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Throughout the world, MEDCs face the issue of an aging population and population
change. This is due to the stage in which that county is according to the demographic
transition model which indicates that as birth rates decline and death rate remain
stagnant, an aging population is created. In the UK for example the baby boom of the
1950s due to increased confidence and the feeling of opportunity mean at the time now
has resulted is a high population of elderly people in the UK. This, combined with the
generous welfare benefits (attributed with Aneurin Bevan), rising economic wealth and
the technological developments in medicine has meant the population in MEDCs is
increasing rapidly and now makes up a significant proportion of the population in many
MEDCs, for example the over 65s make up 16% of the UK population in 2009.
However there are other factors such as migration, government policies, social
expectations and regional differences which make an aging population a significant, but
not the only factor attributed to population change.
The effect of an aging population in the UK can have impact on society and the
economy which can fed through to escalating population change. It can also cause
political, social and economic tensions due to it's impacts. Firstly, an aging population is
likely to be a drain on resources, both physical and financial, as older people will draw a
pension from the government and require extra resources in terms of healthcare and
mobility. The NHS for example is increasingly spending on elderly patients, which cost
several times more to treat than younger patients due to the fact hat they can remain
unwell for prolonged periods of time. Moreover, older people generally live in a house
with one other person, or alone. This can cause a housing shortage, as seen in South
East England where house prices are increasing and 25% of new homes are built in a
plot of land originally dominated by a single property- a term commonly known as
"garden grabbing". This cause issues for first time buyers who find it difficult to climb
the property ladder.
Furthermore, as the proportion of an aging population increase, it would be expected
that the birth rate declines. This is because an older population is not expected to have
children, and this as the proportion of older people grows, the fertility rate of the country
declines below the maintenance fertility rate of 2.1. This is certainly true in Italy where

the fertility has fallen below 2.1 with a population over 66 at 20% of the population.
However it is important to refi nose other factors which lead to declining fertility rates.
The greater importance of women in society through jobs and education and the fact
that women are waiting longer to have children as a career is preferred is increasing. In
the UK, more women 30-35 are having children than the age group of 25-30. In Sweden
for example the impact of womens right to a career has impacted the fertility rate as the
government policy was passed to make the transition from career to motherhood easier
with an 18 month paid maternity leave. This helped the fertility rate to increase as
women were more confident financially to have children. This highlights the importance
of government policy and the role of women and careers in determining population
change, and may be more significant than an aging population on it's own
The impacts of net migration and government policies should not be overlooked as their
impact in population change are significant and far reaching. Many MEDC governments
such as the UK face relaxing the regulations of migration in order to boost the
population. This is due t the fear that a declining fertility rate will hinder future economic
growth as the economically dependent population proportion increases in society (the
elderly). Migration occurs as people from outside the country can have a better quality
of life. The effect of immigration in London for example has led to 50% of all births in the
Capital coming from migrant mothers. It is also true to say that generally migrant
families have more children, thus helping to increase the population further. However,
migration can have negative I'm acts on crime as the migrants tend to agglomerate in
small parts of towns, such as a China Town in San Francisco and New York. However in
the UK, these negative I'm acts has led to the government tightening the regulation rules
on immigration in response to public support. This highlights how important government
policies are as a factor for population change.
Lastly, population can change spatially within a country such as the UK. An elderly
population can be focused in certain areas such as South East Devon, or other coastal
regions. In Devon, 30% of the working population work directly or indirectly in the care
industry and many young people have moved to see better employment opportunities.
This shows how an aging population can have a significant impact on the demographics
of a population and can change the population and services locally and nationally.
In conclusion it can be said that an aging population of MEDCs is a significant factor of
population change, however here are other factors which hold equally significant
weighting in their impact on demographics and population changes. As time goes on, an

aging population will become an ever increasing concern to the governments on MEDCs
and population policies may change over time in response to these and as a result other
factors such as migration or stimulus in fertility rates may increase in importance in the
short term.