Thousands of American and Canadian retirees flock to Mexico seeking a higher quality of life in their golden years.
But for elderly Mexican citizens the outlook is less bright, according to Global AgeWatch, a new index published by the United Nations Population Fund and HelpAge International, an advocacy group for the rights of the elderly.
Mexico ranked 56th out of 91 countries on the index, which measures the social and economic well-being of elderly citizens in four categories — income, health, employment and education, and how friendly the overall environment is in providing help for older people.
Sweden topped the list and Afghanistan placed last.
The 91 countries represent 89 percent of the world’s population aged over 60.
Mexico scored highest in the categories of health and social wellbeing but poorly in income, employment and educational opportunities for the elderly.
The study concluded that the world is ageing so fast that many countries are not prepared to support their swelling numbers of elderly people.
By 2050 more than one-quarter of Mexicans will be aged over 60, some reports suggest.
Worldwide, the number of people over the age of 60 is set to soar from some 809 million today to more than two billion by 2050, at which time they will account for more than one in five people on the planet, the report said.
Rather than highlight the discrepancies between each nation’s care of the elderly, the index “can help us focus our attention on where things are going well and where we have to make improvements,” a press statement read.
The ten best nations to grow old:
1. Sweden
2. Norway
3. Germany
4. Netherlands
5. Canada
6. Switzerland
7. New Zealand
8. United States
9. Iceland
10. Japan
OTHERS:
13. Great Britain
18. France
19. Chile
31. Brazil
35. China
56. Mexico
73. India
78. Russia
91. Afghanistan