Switzerland is the best country to grow old in

Switzerland is the best country to grow old. This is shown by the Global AgeWatch Index the aid organization Age Internationalwhich works to improve the living conditions of older people in poor countries.

The study measures several factors such as income security for older persons, health status and life expectancy, unemployment rates for persons over 55, and factors that enable older persons to live independently, such as access to public transportation, physical safety, social connections, and political freedom.

Switzerland performs particularly well in the categories of health status, work and supportive environment - however, when it comes to income security, it comes in a distant 27th place. This is because growing old in Switzerland still entails a risk of poverty: while the poverty rate in Switzerland is 7.7% across all age categories, it reaches 16% for people over 65.

Differences increase

Globally, the gap between the countries surveyed is widening more and more, especially in the areas of health, education and income: Whereas in 1990, for example, the difference in life expectancy at age 60 between the ten best and ten worst countries was 5.7 years, today it is 7.3 years. The lowest ranks are mainly occupied by countries from Africa or those in conflict - such as Pakistan and Afghanistan.