Unless you live in Madrid or Barcelona, the chances are that you’ve noticed the very high proportion of elderly people in Spain.
Hanging out together on park benches and ever-present in the local markets, these abuelos are testament to how people in Spain live long and able-bodied lives.
In fact, by 2040 Spain will have the highest life expectancy on the planet together with Japan.
This was the focus of the conference 'Japan, the Spain of 2040: Challenges and Solutions for the National Health System of the Future', held in Madrid this week.
Currently, 20.1 percent of the Spanish population is over 65 years old, a figure still far from Japan’s 29.3 percent, but which already anticipates a demographic change of great magnitude.
Of course, Spaniards’ longevity is something to be celebrated, including by foreigners who intend to live here long-term or retire here.
The nutrient-rich Mediterranean diet with plenty of fresh fruit and veg, the fantastic Spanish public healthcare system, and a lifestyle which emphasises walking and strong social bonds all play a part in making Spaniards live longer.
Currently, Spanish men’s average life expectancy is 84.01 years and women live to an average of 86.53 years of age (2024 figures from the Spanish government).
For comparison's sake, in the UK it's 79 for males and 83 for females, whereas in the US it's 75.8 for men and 81.1 for women.
READ ALSO: Why do people in Madrid live longer than anywhere else in the EU?
But what will it mean for Spain’s beloved sanidad pública (public health) when it has even more elderly people to care for in 15 years?
Even though elderly Spaniards are generally very resilient, increased life expectancy always implies a greater prevalence of age-related diseases.
“Japan is today the mirror of Spain in 2040 and offers us valuable lessons” regarding “integrated long-term care, the efficient use of resources and the culture of prevention,” said Ana Zubeldia, CEO and Head of Oncology at the Spanish branch of Japanese pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo.
That “culture of prevention” applies to cancer, the leading cause of death in Spain and with a projected increase of over 300,000 new diagnoses annually in the coming years. Cardiovascular diseases are also the leading cause of death among women. Both of these represent a significant portion of Spain’s current healthcare challenge.
With more than 36 million over-65s, Japan’s rapidly ageing population has fuelled what the World Economic Forum dubbed the “longevity economy”.
In essence, this heightened demand for healthcare, nursing and lifestyle industries has meant that Japan has become very adept at taking care of its elderly population.
This includes everything from conversation partner services to AI-driven care robots, although we don’t see the latter taking off in Spain (at least initially).
The World Economic Forum cites a study that shows that Japan’s elderly population has become “five years younger” in terms of health status and employment rates over the past 15 years.
That’s essentially what Spain and its healthcare system are aiming for - an efficient heath network focused on prevention that ensures that the current 10 million over-65s - and millions more in the coming decades - don’t require as much medical assistance as they currently do.
Wishful thinking perhaps, especially without the fair pay and working conditions for healthcare staff that has led doctors across in Spain to stage four-day strikes every month.
The Spanish government may also have to dedicate more than the current 7 percent of its budget to healthcare, as well as make it easier for foreign healthcare workers to be employed without having to wait for years to have their qualifications recognised through the process called homologación.
Spain now needs between 100,000 and 130,000 nurses to meet EU ratios. Furthermore, 43 percent of doctors in Spain are over 55 years old, meaning tens of thousands will retire in the coming decade.
And at the current rate, Spain will have a deficit of 800,000 carers by the year 2040, when the country is set to be the oldest in the world.
As alarming as these figures may be, Spanish healthcare remains among the best in the world. Let's just hope it can adapt to the upcoming population challenges.
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