Republic of Korea and an Aging World Population

Seniors in conversation at Jongmyo Park, in downtown Seoul, Republic of Korea.
At the end of October 2011, the world population will pass the 7 billion mark. This year's annual report by UNFPA, the UN population fund, highlights the remarkable trends behind the numbers: roughly one in two people now lives in an urban area, the global average life span is 68 years, and close to a billion people are 60 and over. The report sees the possibilities in 7 billion – for fostering sustainable cities, productive labour forces, and generations young and old that contribute to the well-being of economies and societies.