Global Aging Preparedness Index

The world is being overtaken by a stunning demographic transformation known as global aging. Over the next few decades, global aging promises to affect everything from business psychology and workforce productivity to the shape of the family and the direction of global capital flows. Perhaps most fatefully, it could throw into question the ability of societies to provide a decent standard of living for the old without imposing a crushing burden on the young.

Which countries are most prepared to meet the challenge? And which countries are least prepared? The Global Aging Preparedness Index (or GAP Index) provides the first comprehensive quantitative assessment of the progress that countries worldwide are making in preparing for global aging, and particularly the old-age dependency dimension of the challenge. The GAP Index consists of two separate subindices—the fiscal sustainability index and the income adequacy index. It covers twenty countries, including both developed economies and emerging markets.

The GAP Index was developed by the CSIS Global Aging Initiative (GAI). GAI hopes that the GAP Index will become the centerpiece of an ongoing project that includes periodic updates of the Index itself as well as in-depth country and issue studies that build on the Index findings. To learn more about the GAP Index, please visit its website at gapindex.csis.org.
 

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