National specifities of population ageing in Bulgaria
National specifities of population ageing in Bulgaria

Summary/Abstract: Ageing is taken up as a process concerning the change of the entire demographic and economic reproduction. Its specific particularities in Bulgaria are defined taking into consideration the intensity of the age-specific restructuring of population (1990: 20,4% aged 60 and more, 2010: 25,1%, 2030: 26,6%) under transition-specific unfavourable living conditions typical of that centralised-to-market-economy transition period, a sharp birth rate decline and rising death rate. Taking as a basis the EU-launched concept of Active and Healthy Ageing and the statements published by a number of European researchers, the author defends their position on the usefulness of the elderly population under good social and State organisation. Moreover, the author assumes that this is the only alternative solution given the remarkably worsening indices of development in Bulgaria, i.e. low productivity rates, young workforce shortages, low pension and benefit levels and low employment levels among retired people at younger age having conserved their work capacity and professional skills. The author considers lengthening of hu¬man life in good health, unachieved in Bulgaria, as a future solution of an important workforce source and a good driver for the economic growth rates, and, alongside with this, of improvement of living standards of all generations and improvement of population sustainability.

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