Source page: McKinsey & Company
Commentary
Superaged like a fine wine?
Healthcare
January 26, 2023 – The proportion of people over 65 will almost double over the next couple decades, creating challenges as care demands increase and dependency ratios shift, say senior partner Martin Dewhurst and coauthors. Certain “superaged” societies, including Italy, Japan, and South Korea, will experience more dramatic shifts, while countries where populations are aging more slowly—for example, Ghana—have a slightly longer runway to scale successful initiatives.
To read the article, see “Living longer in better health: Six shifts needed for healthy aging,” November 11, 2022.
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Visual form
Choropleth map sequence.
Layout / body structure
The visual is built around a country map with aging-related shading and supporting notes beneath it. Reader starts with the map itself, then uses the labels and callouts to compare how strongly different countries or regions are pulled into the superaged category through 2040.
What is being compared
It compares countries by the scale of aging pressure, especially the rise in the share of older populations and the associated old-age dependency burden over time.
Measurement system
The comparison is framed through old-age dependency and the proportion of people over 65, so the reader is tracking demographic shares and projected aging pressure rather than revenue or output. The map shading and country labels do most of the measurement work.
Visible structure inside the graphic
The chart uses shaded geographies, country boundaries, and highlighted national callouts to organize the comparison. The strongest emphasis is on the countries already in or moving toward a superaged profile, with the surrounding map providing the geographic context for those callouts.
Main takeaway from the visual
The map makes the aging challenge look uneven and concentrated, not evenly distributed across the world. Certain countries stand out as moving much harder into high-dependency territory, which is why the page frames healthy aging as an urgent systems challenge in those societies first.
Key standout values or extremes
Italy, Japan, and South Korea are singled out as the more dramatic superaged cases, while countries such as Ghana are shown as aging more slowly. The visual emphasis is on the contrast in trajectory through 2040 rather than on one giant headline number.
Controls / sequence, when applicable
This is a static chart image with no in-chart controls to operate.
Companion media, when applicable
There is no separate companion audio or video; the chart image is the full visual on this page.