Populations are ageing in almost every country in the world.  In 1950, there were 200 million older people. At present, there 550 million. By 2025, there will 1.2 billion. The speed of change is without precedent. Nearly 80% of this increase took place in the developing world. Unlike other major social and economic changes, we can predict future numbers of older people with a considerable degree of confidence.

Today, majority of the older people (61%) live in developing countries. By 2025, the number of older people will double to 850 million (living in the developing countries,) proportionally 70% of older people worldwide.
(Source: www.helpage.com)

Poverty remains the greatest challenge to older people. If old age is not synonymous with poverty then policies and resources need to be redirected to support older people now. Worldwide, poverty in old age is linked to poor diet, ill health, inadequate housing and isolation. In developing countries, where older populations are growing fastest, older people are consistently and disproportionately among the poorest of the poor.

Worldwide, women live longer than men. They make up two-thirds of the global population over 80 - and as life expectancy rises, this proportion will increase. Compared with men, women have more chance of being widowed, and of having had poor education, nutrition and access to services in earlier life. In addition, poverty also poses a threat to older men. Loss of earning power can have serious consequences for men's household and community status, self-respect and wellbeing.

Conflicts and disasters put older people at special risk. They are a vulnerable but neglected group - seldom targeted by humanitarian agencies' relief efforts and services.

Worldwide particularly in the third world countries, fewer children are shouldering the care of increasingly long-lived, dependent parents while chronic poverty and the scattering of families in search of work are eroding traditional patterns of care for older relatives. In addition, older people have become key caregivers in families hit by HIV/AIDS. They now care for half of all AIDS orphans. In sub-Saharan Africa, older people are now looking after 7.8 million orphaned children and are thus vulnerable to infection because of their ignorance about the disease.

According to HelpAge, Ethiopia was identified by participants as suffering from lack of food and income security, poor shelter, loneliness, poor health, dependants, lack of opportunities for women, negative attitudes towards older people, relief-oriented issues, lack of government social security systems and lack of government policy for older people. The serious drought in the Horn of Africa necessitated a response from HelpAge International. Preferential feeding of children and the fact that older people are being left behind as families migrate in search of food, have been serious problems.