The relationship between elderly population and health expenditures : An empirical study on the worldwilde

One of the main problems encountered today is that societies are aging. Over the last fifty years, death rates and birth rates have been decreasing, life span has been growing, health technologies have been developing, and as a result of these developments, there has been a rapid increase in the rate of elderly population in all countries of the world, especially in developed countries. This increase also increases the need for health services and health care costs and, of course, increases the economic cost of governments. The main problem discussed in this study is whether the increase in the rate of elderly people in the total population in the world increases both the public and private sector health expenditures and thus the economic burden on the governments. The main aim of this study is to determine whether there is an empirical relationship between the rate of elderly population and total (public-private) health expenditures due to demographic developments. The result of this study is that there is a positive relationship between increase in elderly population and health expenditures.