Many people think the Okanagan is the best place to live once you hit retirement age, but a new report says it is actually Switzerland.
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The country where nearly 117 million people are above the age of 60 has ranked as low as 71 among 96 countries – much lower than almost all its South East Asian neighbours, in the Global Age Watch Index released on Wednesday by Britain’s University of Southampton and Help Age worldwide.
The charity’s Global AgeWatch Index measured the social and economic welfare of those over 60 in 96 nations. “The Global AgeWatch Index will be a useful tool for measuring the impact of the SDGs on the lives of older people”.
The survey may reflect more about data collection across Africa, than the quality of life for older people on the continent.
“The country ranks low in the income security domain (72), with pension income coverage (28.9 per cent) and GNI (gross national income) per capita [$4,991; Dh18,331] below regional averages [49 per cent and $10,237 respectively]”, the report said.
The best places for the elderly in Western Europe are Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and Germany.
Scobie says that examining the 2015 data and looking back at some of the key targets of the past years “what we’ve found is that reliance on economic development alone has left some people out so we can see there is an increase in inequality between the countries at the bottom of the index and those at the top”.
Canada has dropped to fifth in an annual ranking of the best places in the world to grow old.
Elderly people are “invisible” in many countries because of poor monitoring of their wellbeing, according to an index that ranks countries based on the ability of senior citizens to access pensions, healthcare, employment and further education.
“The Index is a step on the road to people fulfilling their potential at every stage of life”, said Toby Porter, Chief Executive of HelpAge global. “It shows us which countries are preparing well for this unprecedented demographic change and demonstrates that when governments plan ahead and invest in their ageing populations, society as a whole benefits”.
People aged 60 in Japan have the highest life expectancy and live on average an additional 26 years, while people aged 60 in Afghanistan, live on average an additional 16 years. Globally 46.8 percent of women aged 55 to 64 are economically active, compared with 73.5 percent of men.
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In addition, women usually earn less than men, so opportunities to save for later life are limited, increasing their risk of poverty in old age, the report said. This year, just over 12% of the world’s population is aged 60 or older.
