In The Future, There Will Be A Higher Proportion Of Older People Than Younger People In Many Countries | Band 8 IELTS Essay Sample

In the future, there will be a higher proportion of older people than younger people in many countries. Why is this? Is this a positive or negative development?

Here is a band 8 IELTS essay on this topic written by one of our students. Need help with IELTS writing? Get your IELTS essays, letters and reports corrected by me.

Band 8 IELTS essay sample

According to some studies, there will be more seniors than youngsters in many countries in the future. In my opinion, this is largely a negative development although it does have some benefits.

Developments in medical science and improved access to healthcare has enabled people to live longer and that is why there is an increase in the number of seniors in some countries. At the same time, families are becoming smaller. Couples are opting to have fewer and fewer children and this has reduced the number of young people. This could be due to the widespread realization that smaller families are happier. The hectic lifestyle and stress have also discouraged many people from having babies altogether. Needless to say, in future, many countries will have a higher proportion of old people.

In my opinion, there are both positive and negative aspects to having more old than young people in a country. The main advantage is that seniors possess abundant experience and as such they can offer valuable advice to young people. The unemployment rate will also reduce when there are fewer young people.

On the other hand, the downsides of this development are even more pronounced. Old people are not productive. Also, they are more likely to develop health problems. Hence, when a nation has a higher proportion of seniors than youngsters, its economy will be in trouble. The government will also have to spend a lot more on senior care. While being able to live longer is definitely a blessing, its economic consequences can be devastating for countries that do not have enough young people to take it forward.

To conclude, lower birthrates and increased access to healthcare are the factors contributing to a rise in the population of elderly in many countries. This development has both positive and negative aspects; however, the negatives are more pronounced than the positives.

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Manjusha Nambiar

Hi, I'm Manjusha. This is my blog where I give IELTS preparation tips.