Age-structural transitions in Arab countries

The countries of the Arab region are currently undergoing profound age-structural transitions which will have significant development implications both in the short and long term. All Arab countries are undergoing a shift from high to low rates of mortality and fertility; as a result, some countries have entered a demographic “window of opportunity” and several others will soon enter this stage. The window of opportunity is a period when the working-age population (age 15-64) grows faster than either the population of children (age 0-14) or older persons (age 65+), shifting the balance of the population from high levels of dependency to high levels of potential workers. This shift in age structure in turn creates the potential for Arab countries to benefit from a “demographic dividend”, namely increased economic productivity, savings and human capital development.

Related Subject(s): Population and Demography