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The older population is itself aging, and currently the oldest of the old -- the group 80 or older -- is the fastest growing of the elderly, making up 12 percent of those over 60, the study said.

By 2050, 21 percent of the elderly will be 80 or over, and the number of centenarians -- 100 or older -- will increase 15-fold from 210,000 in 2002 to 3.2 million in 2050, the study projects.

``The world has experienced dramatic increases'' in people living longer, said the study by the U.N. Population Division.

Since 1950, life expectancy has grown 20 years to its current 66 years of age, it said.

Today, one in 10 people is 60 or older (629 million people). In 2050, it will be one in five (2 billion people), and by 2150, one in three, the survey projected.

In 2050, the number of those over 60 will outnumber children -- defined as those up to 14 years of age.

Women still are outliving men.

Of those reaching 60, men can expect to live another 17 years, and women 20 more, according to the data.

Worldwide, there are now 81 men 60 or over for every 100 women, and for the oldest old -- 80 and above -- there are 53 men for every 100 women.

As for marriage, 78 percent of older men are married, and 44 percent of women. Most older persons without a spouse have been widowed.

Large differences in mortality, however, exist between countries.

In the least developed countries, men reaching 60 can expect 15 more years of life and women 16 more. In developed lands, men reaching 60 can expect to live 18 more years, and women 23 more.

In more developed regions, men become eligible for pensions at 65 in more than half of the wealthier countries, while the most common standard for women is between 55 and 59.

Countries with high per capita incomes tend to have a smaller percentage of male workers 60 or over in the labor force -- 31 percent versus 50 percent in less developed lands.

For elderly women, 10 percent still work in developed countries versus 19 percent in developing regions, the study said.

To find the survey : www.un.org

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