Nigeria Sixth Worst Country To Grow Old, Says UN Report

* On the day that Nigeria celebrated its 53rd
anniversary as an independent nation, a new
study released today by the UN backed Help Age
International advocacy group ranked Nigeria
among the worst countries in the world that least
care about their old population.
The Global AgeWatch Index ranked 91 countries,
with Nigeria ranked 85th, the sixth worst, with a
poor record of catering for the well-being of the
elderly, people older than 60.
Though Nigeria has the highest GDP among the
African Index countries, it ranks third lowest for
income security, the report said.
“This reflects its limited pension coverage, at 5
per cent. It ranks 84th in the health domain and,
with Rwanda, has the lowest life expectancy at
age 60 – 16 years.
“For employment and education, Nigeria ranks 70
with the fourth highest proportion of older people,
17.4%, with secondary or higher education among
its African Index counterparts.
“Nigeria ranks second lowest regionally, at 76, in
the enabling environment domain, with only 53%
of older Nigerians enjoying civic freedom.
The report indicated that older Nigerians are
taking part in the Age Demands Action campaign
for the first time this year.
In contrast, Sweden offers the best environment
to grow old. Expectedly, Afghanistan is the worst –
but general affluence does not necessarily mean
better conditions for the over-60s, reports the
London Guardian.
While Sweden’s top ranking – followed by Norway,
Germany, the Netherlands and Canada – may be
predictable, the Global AgeWatch index throws up
some surprising results.
The US, the world’s richest country, languishes in
eighth place, while the UK fails to make the top
10, residing instead at No 13. Sri Lanka ranks 36,
well above Pakistan at 89, despite similar levels of
gross domestic product (GDP). Bolivia and
Mauritius score higher than the size of their
economies may suggest, while the emerging
economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China are a
mixed bag. Brazil and China rank relatively high
on the index; India and Russia sit much lower.
The ageing index is calculated using 13 indicators
under four headings: income security, healthcare,
employment and education, and an enabling
environment. All indicators have equal weight,
except for pension income coverage, life
expectancy at 60, healthy life expectancy at 60,
and psychological wellbeing. These categories
were given increased weighting because of better
data quality, and countries were included only if
there was sufficient data.
The best and worst countries to grow old: the UN
rankings
The index was compiled by the HelpAge
International advocacy group and funded by the
UN Population Fund
Top 10
1. Sweden
2. Norway
3. Germany
4. Netherlands
5. Canada
6. Switzerland
7. New Zealand
8. USA
9. Iceland
10. Japan
Britain came in at 13, ahead of Australia (14) and
France (18).
Lower down in the rankings were the emerging
economies of Brazil (31), China (35), South Africa
(65), India (73) and Russia (78).
Bottom 10:
82. Honduras
83. Montenegro
84. West Bank and Gaza
85. Nigeria
86. Malawi
87. Rwanda
88. Jordan
89. Pakistan
90. Tanzania
91. Afghanistan