An accelerated aging of the population is expected owing to declines in fertility and lengthening of life expectancy. Economic hardship is widespread but countries differ in the extent to which absolute poverty concentrates among older people as opposed to other vulnerable groups. Though women universally have an edge over men in survival rates, in countries of the ECA region, the gender differential in life expectancy both at birth and at age 65 is the highest on record. Pensions are the most important source of income for older people. Not all pensioners are older than 60, however, and in many countries, actual payments are often intermittent and inadequate.
Pensioners constitute a major segment of the population in many single-enterprise towns.
Once the enterprises are restructured or closed, younger workers tend to move elsewhere in search of jobs, leaving the towns populated largely by older people. The proportion of pensioners among older people is likely to decline as a result of privatization and pension reform efforts. The number of people without pension rights has been increasing during the economic transition and this is likely to generate a substantial number of older people without pensions in coming decades. The highest number of older people is likely to be in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Eastern Europe, where the social isolation of older people seems to be greater than in other countries. The following recommendations are suggested as an agenda for action for Governments of the region and external donors, including the World Bank.