Finding Statistics

The State of Aging and Health in America 2013 is the sixth volume of a series that presents a snapshot of the health and aging landscape in the United States or another region of the world. This series presents the most current information and statistics, often specifically commissioned for the report, on the health of older adults. The State of Aging and Health in America 2013 focuses on the health of adults aged 65 years or older in the United States and was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) is a new resource for the scientific study of functioning in later life. NHATS is being conducted by the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, with data collection by Westat, and support from the National Institute on Aging. In design and content, NHATS is intended to foster research that will guide efforts to reduce disability, maximize health and independent functioning, and enhance quality of life at older ages.

Starting in 2011, NHATS has been gathering information on a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older. In-person interviews collect detailed information on activities of daily life, living arrangements, economic status and well-being, aspects of early life, and quality of life.

Mental health is essential to overall health and well-being. The State of Mental Health and Aging in America Issue Briefs, created by CDC in partnership with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, provide a framework for examining the mental health of adults age 50 and older in the United States.

The Longitudinal Studies of Aging (LSOAs) is a collaborative project of National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA). It is a multicohort study of persons 70 years of age and over designed primarily to measure changes in the health, functional status, living arrangements, and health services utilization of two cohorts of Americans as they move into and through the oldest ages.

The older population—persons 65 years or older—numbered 44.7 million in 2013 (the latest year for which data is available). They represented 14.1% of the U.S. population, about one in every seven Americans. By 2060, there will be about 98 million older persons, more than twice their number in 2013. People 65+ represented 14.1% of the population in the year 2013 but are expected to grow to be 21.7% of the population by 2040. The information in this section of the AoA website brings together a wide variety of statistical information about this growing population.

This entry provides the distribution of the population according to age. Information is included by sex and age group as follows: 0-14 years (children), 15-24 years (early working age), 25-54 years (prime working age), 55-64 years (mature working age), 65 years and over (elderly). The age structure of a population affects a nation's key socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations (high percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools, while countries with older populations (high percentage ages 65 and over) need to invest more in the health sector. The age structure can also be used to help predict potential political issues. For example, the rapid growth of a young adult population unable to find employment can lead to unrest.

Population counts by age, sex, country and year. Includes 65+ variable.

The International Labor Organization provides cross-country statistics on the labour market. The database contains over 100 indicators covering more than 230 countries and economies. Can view unemployment by age as well as level of education by age group and more.