HEALTHY LIFE EXPECTANCY IN THE CONTEXT OF POPULATION AGING: GLOBAL TRENDS IN THE COVID-19 ERA

Abstract

Significance. Healthy life expectancy in the world is gradually increasing in the context of a progressive increase in the number and share of older people compared to the rest of the population. These are the most visible trends in the global development. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has become an unprecedented challenge to the mankind, threatening to slow down these processes due to the high mortality in older ages. Purpose of the study: to define trends in the global development of the aging process both “deep” and “wide”. Subject of the study: Healthy life expectancy in the context of population aging in the COVID-19 era. Material and methods. Statistical materials of WHO, UN, Eurostat and methods of general logical, analytical, statistical analysis and empirical research. Results. The nature of possible changes in the age structure and healthy life expectancy in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic has been identified. Conclusion. The impact of the “pandemic effect” on healthy life expectancy and the age structure of the population will be more pronounced in economically developed countries, despite achievements in the healthcare system and developments in medicine. In such settings the depth of the population aging has already reached its maximum, therefore, the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which are most negative among the elderly, will be more pronounced compared to the developing world.