THE NUMBER of dependant elderly people in Portugal will increase from 25 per cent to 58 per cent by the year 2050, according to demographics projects unveiled this week by the European Commission.
Dependant elderly are defined as the percentage of the population aged over 65 against the working population.
Portugal’s population as a whole will decrease by 2050, meaning that Portugal’s workforce in percentage terms will also be reduced. Three in every 10 Portuguese will be aged between 60 and 79 (today the percentage is 18 per cent) and 11 in every 100 Portuguese will be aged over 80.
According to statistics published this week, the percentage of octogenarians now is four per cent of the total population.
