Malta : an ageing population

Abstract

Over the past few years, the world's population has continued on its transition path from a state of high birth and death rates to one characterized by low birth and death rates. At the heart of this transition has been the growth in number of older people. Such a rapid growth has hardly ever been seen in the history of civilization. Technological breakthroughs in the field of medicine including the development of new and effective drugs and vaccines, contributed to this process much later. Population ageing has become an important development issue that required urgent action in developed countries. In the developing countries, population ageing is occurring more rapidly because of rapid fertility decline and an increasing life expectancy due to medical interventions based on the use of advanced technology and drugs.