Countries such as Japan, Italy and Portugal are facing a population problem where more and more of the population is over 65, this is a big issue because less and less people work and it is affecting the country’s economy (money) very severely.

In Japan, for example, over 27% of the population is over 65 – the highest in the world. In Italy it’s 23% and in Portugal it’s 22%.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) by 2050 it’s suspected that over 2 billion people will be over 60, which means that countries will have to pay more for health care, pensions and other things that affect the older population.

The suspected reason why Portugal’s number is so high is because many people from colder European countries choose to retire there as it’s hot and sunny.

In Japan, last year 450,000 more people died than babies were born. 1.37 million people died and 921,000 were born, meaning there was a population decline.

Other risks of this include Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

This is becoming a crisis very quickly but there are not many ways to deal with it.

By Eva, Year 7