The EU old age dependency ratio reached 34.5% in 2023, putting more pressure on working age populations. In the U.S., people aged 65+ held jobs at a 27.0% labor force participation rate, while median employed age was 41.4 years in 2023. These figures frame how aging shifts work, health costs, and digital access across multiple systems.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, the EU’s old-age dependency ratio was 34.5%
- In the U.S., 27.0% of people aged 65+ participated in the labor force in 2023
- In 2023, the U.S. median age of employed people was 41.4 years
- In 2024, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits paid were $169.8 billion
- In 2022, life expectancy at age 65 in the U.S. was 19.8 additional years (19.8 years lived on average after age 65)
- In 2022, 14.0 million hospital admissions in England involved people aged 65+
- In 2023, the proportion of total health expenditure accounted for by people aged 65+ in OECD countries averaged 42%
- In 2023, 74% of people aged 65+ in the U.S. used the internet at least occasionally
- In 2023, 52% of U.S. adults aged 65+ owned a smartphone
- In 2023, 63% of seniors in the UK had digital skills to do online tasks independently (estimated)
- In 2023, the global active aging market was valued at $112.6 billion
- In 2023, the global senior living market size was $443.5 billion
- In 2023, the global market for home care services was $433.7 billion
- In 2023, global health spending for people aged 65+ accounted for 41% of total health expenditure in OECD countries
- In 2024, the UK State Pension basic amount was £221.20 per week
Aging is reshaping health, work, and pensions, with rising costs and growing digital and care needs.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographics & Aging1 stats
01
In 2023, the EU’s old-age dependency ratio was 34.5%https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Population_structure_and_ageing
Interpretation
Demographics & Aging Interpretation
In 2023, the EU’s old-age dependency ratio reached 34.5%, signaling growing demographic pressure under the Demographics and Aging category as fewer working-age people support a larger older population.
02 · Category
Labor, Work & Retirement5 stats
01
In the U.S., 27.0% of people aged 65+ participated in the labor force in 2023https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/civilian-labor-force-participation-rate.htm
02
In 2023, the U.S. median age of employed people was 41.4 yearshttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t01.htm
03
In 2024, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits paid were $169.8 billionhttps://www.ssa.gov/OACT/STATS/table4c6.html
04
The OECD projects the employment rate for older workers (55–64) will be 55% on average by 2030 under baseline assumptionshttps://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2024/oecd-employment-outlook-2024_3f6e0d4a-en.html
05
In 2023, the OECD average statutory retirement age was 64.5 yearshttps://www.oecd.org/els/emp/social-policies-and-data/statutory-retirement-age.htm
Interpretation
Labor, Work & Retirement Interpretation
As the share of older Americans working remains substantial, with 27.0% of people aged 65 and over in the U.S. participating in the labor force in 2023, and global expectations pointing to a 55% employment rate for workers aged 55 to 64 by 2030, the Labor, Work and Retirement picture is trending toward longer working lives even as retirement ages rise to an OECD average of 64.5 years.
03 · Category
Health, Care & Outcomes7 stats
01
In 2022, life expectancy at age 65 in the U.S. was 19.8 additional years (19.8 years lived on average after age 65)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-02.pdf
02
In 2022, 14.0 million hospital admissions in England involved people aged 65+https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical-work-area/hospital-admissions-to-older-people
03
In 2023, the proportion of total health expenditure accounted for by people aged 65+ in OECD countries averaged 42%https://www.oecd.org/health/health-systems/health-spending.htm
04
In 2021, 30.0% of deaths worldwide were among people aged 70+https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death
05
By 2030, WHO projects a 30% increase in diabetes prevalence in adults globallyhttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes
06
In 2022, the number of people aged 65+ requiring palliative care in the U.S. was estimated at 1.7 millionhttps://www.nhpco.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/NHPCO-Brief-2023-Fact-Sheet.pdf
07
In 2023, the average annual cost of dementia care in the U.S. was $345 billion (total economic cost)https://www.alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-facts-and-figures.pdf
Interpretation
Health, Care & Outcomes Interpretation
Across Health, Care & Outcomes, the aging impact is already clear, with people aged 65 and over accounting for 42% of health spending in OECD countries on average and WHO projecting a 30% rise in adult diabetes prevalence by 2030.
04 · Category
Technology & Digital Inclusion5 stats
01
In 2023, 74% of people aged 65+ in the U.S. used the internet at least occasionallyhttps://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/internet-broadband/
02
In 2023, 52% of U.S. adults aged 65+ owned a smartphonehttps://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/
03
In 2023, 63% of seniors in the UK had digital skills to do online tasks independently (estimated)https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0035/274947/report-2023-adults-media-use-and-attitudes.pdf
04
In 2023, e-commerce purchase incidence among adults aged 65–74 in the EU was 52%https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=E-commerce_statistics
05
In 2023, the global wearable devices market was valued at $64.0 billionhttps://www.imarcgroup.com/wearable-devices-market
Interpretation
Technology & Digital Inclusion Interpretation
In 2023, digital inclusion for older adults is improving but still uneven, with 74% of US adults aged 65+ using the internet and 52% owning smartphones, while in the EU 52% of those aged 65 to 74 made online purchases, showing that access does not automatically translate into full digital participation.
05 · Category
Markets & Consumer Demand6 stats
01
In 2023, the global active aging market was valued at $112.6 billionhttps://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/active-aging-market
02
In 2023, the global senior living market size was $443.5 billionhttps://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/senior-living-market
03
In 2023, the global market for home care services was $433.7 billionhttps://www.precedenceresearch.com/home-care-services-market
04
In 2022, the global market for mobility aids was $27.8 billionhttps://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/04/11/2648397/0/en/Mobility-Aids-Market-Size-to-Reach-59-0-Billion-by-2032.html
05
In 2023, the global hearing aids market was valued at $11.0 billionhttps://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/hearing-aids-market
06
In 2023, the U.S. long-term care insurance market had $2.3 million new policies soldhttps://www.naic.org/documents/industry_statistics.htm
Interpretation
Markets & Consumer Demand Interpretation
In 2023 alone, consumer spending tied to aging and related needs spanned from a $443.5 billion global senior living market and a $433.7 billion home care services market to a $112.6 billion active aging market, underscoring strong and broad market demand across the Age category.
More related reading
06 · Category
Public Policy & Spending6 stats
01
In 2023, global health spending for people aged 65+ accounted for 41% of total health expenditure in OECD countrieshttps://www.oecd.org/health/health-systems/Health-Spending.htm
02
In 2024, the UK State Pension basic amount was £221.20 per weekhttps://www.gov.uk/state-pension
03
In 2022, the IMF estimated that global public spending on pensions would rise from 9.2% of GDP in 2019 to 11.3% by 2050https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/REO/Issues/2023/04/24/world-economic-outlook-april-2023
04
In 2022, U.S. OASDI paid out $1.51 trillion in benefitshttps://www.ssa.gov/OACT/STATS/table4a6.html
05
In 2023, the WHO reported that 77% of countries have a policy addressing population ageinghttps://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240076334
06
In 2022, the EU’s Digital Decade targets included reaching 20 million people using digitally-enabled health services by 2030 (with baseline measured in 2020)https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/european-digital-decade-policy-programme
Interpretation
Public Policy & Spending Interpretation
Across major economies, public policy is increasingly shaped by ageing related fiscal pressure, with pension and health spending projected to climb as the IMF expects global pension outlays to rise from 9.2% of GDP in 2019 to 11.3% by 2050 while in OECD countries health spending for those aged 65+ already makes up 41% of total health expenditure in 2023.
07 · Category
Labor & Retirement3 stats
01
24.6% of older adults (65+) in the U.S. reported being employed in 2023, indicating labor-force participation among seniorshttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t06.htm
02
In 2023, the U.S. employment-population ratio for people aged 65+ was 20.2%, measuring the share of seniors working relative to the populationhttps://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/employment-population-ratio.htm
03
In 2023, the average retirement age for men in the OECD was 64.0 years and for women 63.0 years (OECD average), reflecting gender differences in retirement timinghttps://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2024/03/oecd-employment-outlook-2024_6e6e6b9a/9789264274000-en.pdf
Interpretation
Labor & Retirement Interpretation
In the Labor & Retirement landscape for older adults, only 24.6% of Americans aged 65+ were employed in 2023 and the employment-population ratio was 20.2%, showing relatively limited senior work despite that the average retirement age across the OECD is later for men at 64.0 years than for women at 63.0 years.
08 · Category
Healthcare Utilization2 stats
01
In 2021, Medicare beneficiaries aged 65+ accounted for 62.0% of U.S. prescription drug spending (CMS NHEA household-level breakdown), illustrating medication intensity in older groupshttps://www.cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/national-health-expenditure-data
02
In 2022, 46.0% of adults aged 65+ in the U.S. reported having arthritis, indicating the burden of chronic musculoskeletal conditionshttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/arthritis.htm
Interpretation
Healthcare Utilization Interpretation
In the healthcare utilization spotlight, adults 65 and older account for the majority of prescription drug spending at 62.0% in 2021 while 46.0% reported arthritis in 2022, underscoring how chronic conditions likely drive heavy medication use in this age group.
09 · Category
Aging Finance3 stats
01
In 2023, global spending on health for people aged 65+ reached an estimated $6.4 trillion (OECD-based health spending by age summary), showing large older-age healthcare outlayshttps://www.oecd.org/health/health-spending-by-age.htm
02
In 2023, Medicaid spending on long-term services and supports (LTSS) totaled $450.0 billion (federal-state combined), showing major public financing for older populations’ carehttps://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/medicaid-long-term-services-and-supports
03
In 2023, U.S. public spending on retirement benefits (Social Security and related) reached $1.51 trillion for OASDI (excluding the already-cited figure), reflecting the breadth of retirement financinghttps://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/supplement/2023/oasdi.html
Interpretation
Aging Finance Interpretation
In the Aging Finance category, 2023 saw health and public support costs rise sharply with $6.4 trillion in spending on people aged 65+, $450.0 billion in Medicaid LTSS, and $1.51 trillion in retirement benefits, underscoring how rapidly aging is driving major fiscal pressure.
10 · Category
Technology & Services1 stats
01
In 2023, 23.0% of adults aged 65+ in the EU used the internet for online banking, indicating broader financial digital access among seniorshttps://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Digital_economy_and_society_statistics_-_households_and_individuals
Interpretation
Technology & Services Interpretation
In 2023, 23.0% of EU adults aged 65+ used online banking, pointing to growing technology and services uptake among seniors when it comes to digital financial access.
report visual · Breakdown
Ageing pressures: dependency and participation
Older-age dependency is rising while labor participation varies across the U.S. and expected trajectories for older workers.
77%
In 2023, the WHO reported that 77% of countries have a policy addressing population ageing
23%
In 2023, 23.0% of adults aged 65+ in the EU used the internet for online banking, indicating broader financial digital a
source-verifiedwho.int · ec.europa.eu2023
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Age Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/age-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Age Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/age-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Age Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/age-statistics.
Sources & references
39 datasets cited across this report
+18 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)