PLEASE HELP WILL GIVE MAX POINTS summarize this into 5- 7 sentences
Population Aging in Spain
This line graph shows how the
percentage of people aged 65 and
over has increased in Spain since
1950. It also predicts how that
population will grow in the future.
One reason for the change since 1950
is a steady rise in life expectancy.
Population Aging in Spain
This line graph shows how the percentage of people aged 65 and over has increased in Spain since 1950. It also predicts how that population will grow in the future. One reason for the change since 1950 is a steady rise in life expectancy.

5. Dilemma Two: An Aging Population
Europe is sometimes called “the old continent” because of its aging population. For example, by 2050, the average age of a person in Spain will be 52 years, making the population of Spain one of the oldest in the world. This aging population will also mean more elderly people for Spain to care for.

Causes of an Aging Population A population ages for two reasons: a rise in life expectancy and a drop in the birth rate. Both trends are currently present across Europe. As a result, there are more elderly people and fewer young people than in the past, which means that Europe has an aging population.

Europe will age even more rapidly in the years ahead because of a baby boom from 1945 to the 1960s. A baby boom is a sudden increase in the birth rate. Europe’s baby boom began not long after World War II ended. As soldiers returned home and countries recovered from war, marriage rates increased, which in part led to higher birth rates. The average total fertility rate in Europe was greater than 2.5 during much of this period. This means that there is a large population of Europeans born in these baby boom years. However, by the 1970s, birth rates had started to decline.

By 2010, the people born toward the end of Europe’s baby boom were entering their 50s. Many baby boomers have already retired, and others will retire in the next decade, swelling the elderly population of Europe.

Europe’s Aging Population
Spain is not the only country with
an aging population. By 2050, the
average age in Greece and Portugal
will be around 53 years old, which
will make them two of the oldest
countries in the world.
Europe’s Aging Population
Spain is not the only country with an aging population. By 2050, the average age in Greece and Portugal will be around 53 years old, which will make them two of the oldest countries in the world.

Problems Caused by an Aging Population Most people would agree that living longer, healthier lives is a good thing. Yet an aging population also creates problems for a society. In many aging societies, the two biggest concerns are pensions and health care.

A pension is a fixed amount of money paid to a retired person by a government or former employer. A pension is usually paid from the time a person retires until he or she dies.

Health care is of concern because as people age, their need for health care increases. Older people are more likely than younger people to suffer from such diseases as cancer, diabetes, and arthritis. They are more likely to need expensive surgeries and costly medicines. Some need special care available only in nursing homes. All of these needs cost money.

Most European governments provide pensions and health care for senior citizens. The money to pay for both comes from taxes paid by working people. This system functions as long as the dependency ratio is low. However, the combination of a growing elderly population and fewer young people joining the workforce is causing the dependency ratio to rise. In other words, an ever-smaller workforce is supporting an ever-larger elderly population.

The simplest solution to rising costs is for governments to budget more money for pensions and health care. However, because of the financial crisis in the late 2000s, many governments in Europe, including Spain’s, limited or reduced spending. In 2017, Spain was expected to return to or surpass its 2011 spending levels.