What are the determining factors and consequences of population ageing? (A regional case study of Skåne county, Sweden, 1970-2014)

Abstract: Increasing proportions of elderly are one of the major challenges arising from changes in the age distributions of many Western societies. Whilst much attention has been to paid to continental and national trends of population ageing, relatively little consideration has been to regional patterns of population ageing. This paper focuses on the population ageing process in 33 municipalities in Skåne county in the south of Sweden. This paper uses a previously used municipality classification tool to arrange the municipalities in to one of six categories based on their population size, population density, population distribution, accessibility and if the municipality contains a large town or city. Initially, the paper introduces the topic of population ageing, and conducts a thorough review of all key relevant literature in the field. Historic panel data is then analysed to scrutinise and quantify to what extent the proportion of elderly is affected by factors such as foreign born residents, median income, unemployment level, fertility rates and type of municipality. Crucial relationships between proportion of elderly and foreign born residents, unemployment levels and types of municipality are discovered. Finally, recommendations based on these results are suggested to policymakers.