Idosos e longevidade em Espanha e Portugal: indicadores demográficos básicos a ter em conta nas políticas de pensões

The change in the demographic structure in Spain and Portugal will have clear effects on the design and sustainability of their welfare states. The high concentration of population in older age groups, and the increasing longevity observed and expected for older people, brings to the table the debate on what should be the best design of welfare policies, with a clear focus on pensions, health, social services and long-term care. In addition to all this, a cultural change is taking place in advanced societies, with the empowerment of the elderly and the implementation of preventive policies that may slow down the acceleration of expenditure, becoming increasingly important. Measuring the economic and social effects of population ageing is currently one of the main lines of statistical- actuarial research, in which the concept of life expectancy and the incorporation of other biometric functions into the calculation plays a key role.