Nigeria Sixth Worst Country To Grow Old, According To A UN Report

Nigeria celebrated its 53rd anniversary as an independent nation, a new study released by the UN backed Help Age International advocacy group ranked Nigeria among the worst countries in the world that least care about their old population.

The Global AgeWatch Index ranked 91 countries, with Nigeria ranked 85th, the sixth worst, with a poor record of catering for the well-being of the elderly, people older than 60.

Though Nigeria has the highest GDP among the African Index countries, it ranks third lowest for income security, the report said.

The ageing index is calculated using 13 indicators under four headings: income security, healthcare, employment and education, and an enabling environment. All indicators have equal weight, except for pension income coverage, life expectancy at 60, healthy life expectancy at 60, and psychological wellbeing. These categories were given increased weighting because of better data quality, and countries were included only if there was sufficient data.

The best and worst countries to grow old: the UN rankings 
The index was compiled by the HelpAge International advocacy group and funded by the UN Population Fund

Top 10

1. Sweden

2. Norway

3. Germany

4. Netherlands

5. Canada

6. Switzerland

7. New Zealand

8. USA

9. Iceland

10. Japan

Britain came in at 13, ahead of Australia (14) and France (18).

Lower down in the rankings were the emerging economies of Brazil (31), China (35), South Africa (65), India (73) and Russia (78).

Bottom 10:

82. Honduras

83. Montenegro

84. West Bank and Gaza

85. Nigeria

86. Malawi

87. Rwanda

88. Jordan

89. Pakistan

90. Tanzania

91. Afghanistan