INSEE (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies) publishes, Tuesday, a study on people aged 65 and over in France. How many are they? Who works after 65? What is their standard of living, their state of health, their hobbies?
The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) publishes a study on Tuesday, November 20 on people over 65 years. It draws an inventory of this important component of the population that are seniors in France. Work, number, purchasing power, health, leisure ...
How many seniors in France?
As of January 1, 2018, France had 13.1 million people aged 65 and over, called seniors. Six out of ten are women. If demographic trends continue, France will have 21, 9 million seniors in 2070. They will represent, then, 29% of the population against 20% in 2018 and 7% in 1870.
Good news for men: the gap in life expectancy between women and men continues to narrow. The age pyramid should moreover be balanced by 2070, with 39% of men in the 95 years. This aging of the population, observed in France, is also observed at the European level.
Who still works after 65?
People 65 and over are a population that has grown in recent years, albeit very small. Thus, this employment rate reaches 3% (given 2017) against 1.1% in 2006. This increase is observed first among the 65-69 age group (6.6% at work in 2017). 70% of employed seniors combine employment and retirement. This employment rate obviously decreases with age. It goes from 44% at age 60 to 1.6% at age 74.
According to INSEE, four profiles of active workers aged 65 to 74 stand out: employees with only a few part-time degrees, who are more often lonely and immigrants (41%); highly educated and highly qualified urban, mostly male (34%); traders, with relatively few graduates (18%); and older farmers, in rural communes, and rather full-time (7%).
What standard of living?
Between 2010 and 2015, the average standard of living of senior citizens remained stable in constant euros, while that of people of working age (aged 25-64) fell by 3%. This trend, which is a little more favorable for seniors, is due to the lower sensitivity of their resources to the economic situation, INSEE says. The share of seniors in the bottom 10% of the population is half that of 25-64 year olds. They are also half as concerned about income poverty.
The standard of living of the elderly has increased significantly until the 1941-1945 generations. This is due to the arrival at 65 years of people with pensions increasingly higher, because of more complete careers and higher wages.
What is their state of health?
In both the home and the institution, two-thirds of seniors report having an illness or a chronic health problem. Bone and joint diseases are the most frequently reported problems. Cardiovascular diseases or problems are the second most common major group of pathologies. Neurological diseases, mainly Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, are also very common: 39% of residents in institutions are concerned. They are, on average, older than those living at home.
One in four seniors in the home and three in four in institutions have already used psychotropic drugs (antidepressants, anxiolytics ...) in the year. At home, less than one in five seniors report feeling strongly restricted in activities of everyday living. In institutions, this is the case for more than six seniors out of ten. Similarly, 14% of seniors living at home feel bad or very bad health compared to 35% of those living in institutions.
What are their hobbies?
Leisure accounts for almost a third of the day of seniors: on average 7 h 33 a day, or 2 h 40 more than the 25-64 years. The main leisure of seniors is television. They spend 3:06 per day. Leisure is also naps, DIY, gardening, walks, reading ....
Before the age of 75, the wealthiest seniors have more diversified leisure time than the more modest ones. For the better-off, it is less television, but more trips, professional or associative work, computer and reading. After 75 years, the composition of the leisure of seniors is closer between the most modest and the richest. The advancing age is accompanied by an increase in passive activities, such as rest and television.