Demographic ageing is a complex process that goes far beyond simple changes in percentages; it transforms populations and makes them more sophisticated. However, in the hegemonic public narrative, we still do not recognise ourselves as the population we have already become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The discourse regarding demographic ageing often gets lost in issues of how to reverse the irreversible or rejuvenate the population. Although demographic ageing is the result of multiple achievements, it is often seen as a threat. And despite there being no cyclical element involved, it is presented as a passing crisis, the solutions to which are always simple and external. Although it is a phenomenon that affects the world\u2019s population as a whole, it is often attributed a distinctive character, linked to certain cultural values. All these commonplaces have gradually served to build a collective imaginary that associates demographic ageing with adversity, to which may be added the parallel drawn with individual ageing. In populations, ageing is not the stage before disappearance, but a stage in which these populations become more complex. And despite the emphasis on birth rate \u2013 which is often the focus of magic recipes \u2013 this profound change in our populations follows on from a major transformation in survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The steady rise in survival over the past 150 years has brought about a profound transformation in the reproductive system of societies. This change in reproduction has, in turn, changed populations in many ways. The Spanish population has been demographically modern for the last 30 years, with low mortality and low birth rates. This implies a process of transformation towards more vertical age structures which, despite demographic ageing, entails more severe transformations. The trend in demographic dynamics is creating new scenarios in coexistence between different generations. Scientific research is still exploring the implications of their combined effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the last century and a half, human longevity has been increasing at a rate of three months a year. [1]<\/a>1 \u2014 Oeppen, J.; Vaupel, J. W. (2002). \u201cBroken limits to life expectancy\u201d. Science, no. 296(5570): pp. 1029-1031.\n<\/span><\/span> This trend \u2013 surprisingly stable over 150 years \u2013 has led to a striking transformation in the reproductive system. Mortality and fertility are closely linked in all species, thereby ensuring the reproduction of the population. For tens of thousands of years, human life expectancy was 30-40 years. High infant mortality made high fertility rates necessary to ensure the replacement of adult populations and thus the reproduction of the species. The gradual but steady increase in life expectancy has altered this situation. After a century and a half of declining mortality rates at all ages, and with life expectancy now exceeding 80 years (Figure 1), the reproductive effort among younger generations has adapted to a scenario of high survival. In 2023, life expectancy at birth in Spain was 83.7 years (81.1 for the male population and 86.3 for the female population). The function of high birth rates in the reproductive system a century ago is now met by longer life spans and overlapping generations. This profound transformation in human reproduction is known as demographic transition<\/em>. [2]<\/a>2 \u2014 Notestein, F. W. (1945). \u201cPopulation: the long view\u201d. In: Schultz, T. (ed.) Food for the world. Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press.\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n