Nederlands Interdisciplinair Demografisch Instituut NIDI

Special EPC 2018 DEMOS

In this special issue of DEMOS on the occasion of the European Population Conference 2018 articles on: retiring together, educational differences in longevity, timing of family formation and loneliness among older adults, migration decisions in Europe, and the position of migration research.

Photo: Roel Wijnants/Flickr

Maximum lifespan may increase to 125 years

The oldest person ever was the Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122. Researchers at the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) and the University of Groningen (UG) claim that her record will be broken this century. The results of their research are published in Nature.

Taken by surprise: How older workers struggle with a higher retirement age

Until 2006 the Netherlands, like many other European countries, had a very strong “early retirement culture”. But that is history now. Early exit routes have been closed, and moreover, State Pension Age will increase to 67. Employees and employers need to change their perspectives on retirement in response to pension reforms that have taken place in quick succession.

NIDI scenario: Strong population decline in China

United Nations projections assume that by the end of this century one third of the world population will live in India, China or Nigeria. While population growth in India will slow down and the population size of China will decline, population growth in Nigeria will accelerate. A new NIDI scenario projects less population growth in Nigeria and sharp population decline in China.