[The aging of Mexicos population. The challenge of the twenty-first century]

Aging of the population is one of the greatest challenges that will confront Mexican society during the first half of this century. The relative increase of the advanced age population which began in the mid-nineties will continue during the entire first half of the twenty-first century first at a moderate rate and later in a more accelerated manner until the advanced age population reaches 28 percent in the year 2050. This change in the population age structure will translate into a series of challenges of a different sort. In the first place the aging of the population will imply an increase in the amount of resources devoted to the care of the advanced age population which means that smaller amounts will be available to devote to other matters. Moreover increases in the advanced age population will translate into increased pressures on public social security institutions not only in the area of pensions but also in the provision of health services. This transformation will also compromise the feasibility of the different forms of family support for the aged which have been the principal support for sustaining the advanced age population in Mexico. Finally aging of the population will also oblige profound cultural changes which will necessarily undergo a redefinition of the social significance and forms of social and cultural integration of older adults. Only a few decades are available to prepare and instrument the institutional responses that must confront these challenges. In the spirit of contributing to the creation of a consciousness of this phenomenon the National Council of Population by means of this work is publishing some indicators of the characteristics of the aging of the population and of the social situation of older adults in Mexico as well as the principal characteristics that this process is acquiring throughout the world. The responsibilities of the National Council of Population include the task of providing greater comprehension of the aging demographic the stimulation of studies and research to allow anticipation of the demands and needs of this phenomenon and advancements toward the construction of economic social and institutional responses that allow present day demographic challenges to be met. (excerpt)