Wolfgang Lutz

Wolfgang Lutz heads the Population Project of the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria, and is the editor of The Future Population of the World: What Can We Assume Today" In the following viewpoint, Lutz contends that the average age of the world’s population, in a midrange projection, will rise from approximately 28 years today to about 41 years in the year 2100, with the percentage of people age 60 or older increasing from 9.2 percent to 25.5 percent—one person in four. Lutz projects China and Western Europe as regions facing the most substantial increases in elderly populations.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What are the demographic trends that Lutz factors into the aging scenarios?
2. In the author’s opinion, why is it crucial for China to address rapid...