Ageing and the media

February 25th 2019

Simon J. Cox

Emerging Markets Editor /

Senior Economics Writer

The Economist

Hong Kong

@s1moncox

Nigel Farage, Mr Brexit

Keanu Reeves

1999

2006

2010

2011

2010

• How much of their output must the working-age generation surrender to the

elderly to equalise the distribution of goods and services?

Thailand 2020 2050

Dependency ratio 18.2 50.0

Support ratio 5.5 2

Sacrifice ratio* 15 33

Elderly / Working-age

Elderly / (Working-age + Elderly)

32

25

20

18

15 15

42

35

27

40

33

31

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Japan Germany USA SouthKorea

Thailand China

%

2020

2050

Sacrifice ratio What % of their output must the working-age generation surrender to the elderly to

equalise the distribution of goods?

2014

Pre-tiree

The Geriactives

Generation Zzzz

Jaggernaut

“The English-speaking world thinks of “retirement”,

as “withdrawal to a place of seclusion”...

But not all nations share such etymology…

[The] Spaniards call it jubilación.”

-TRISTAN JONES

Chicago

Thanks!