Media reports and political discourse on our ageing population often adopt a tone of panic. This discussion paper untangles the facts from the myths, so that Australians can look afresh at the population ageing issue – less from a perspective of panic than one of potential.

It is important to understand how intergenerational equity is changing over time. The Australian Actuaries Intergenerational Equity Index (AAIEI) contributes to this discussion by tracking and assessing 24 indicators, across six broad domains, that relate to wealth and wellbeing (economic and fiscal, housing, health and disability, social, education and environment).

The report identifies policy settings that have contributed to differences in outcomes across generations in Australia. It looks ahead to what an ageing population might mean for the economic future of today’s young.

We analyse the relationship between subjective wellbeing (SWB) and the World Bank’s measure of a country’s economic sustainability, adjusted net savings (ANS). We model SWB at individual level and at aggregated group level as a function of past ANS levels, after controlling for a country’s initial levels of SWB. The empirical models utilise World Values...

This report analyses the components of economic growth in 21 APEC economies in the past 25 years and the next 35. Written to contribute to discussions at APEC Senior Officials’ meetings in the run up to APEC ministerial and leaders meetings, it highlights the critical role played by population ageing and discusses relevant policy interventions.