In 2017 , about 16 percent of the American population was 65 years old or over ; a figure which is expected to reach 22 percent by 2050 . This is a significant increase from 1950 , when only eight percent of the population was 65 or over . A rapidly aging population In recent years , the aging population of the United States has come into focus as a cause for concern , as the nature of work and retirement is expected to change in order to keep up . If a population is expected to live longer than the generations before , the economy will have to change as well in order to fulfill the needs of the citizens . In addition , the birth rate in the U.S. has been falling over the last 20 years , meaning that there are not as many young people to replace the individuals leaving the workforce . The future population It 's not only the American population that is aging -- the global population is , too . By 2020 , the median age of the global workforce is expected to be 39 years , up from 33.8 years in 1990 . Additionally , it is projected that there will be over three million people worldwide aged 100 years and over by 2050 .
