1 in 6 by 2030: How to Visualize a Demographic Transition

People worldwide are living longer. As the World Health Organization reports, today, most people can expect to live into their sixties and beyond. Indeed, by 2030, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 60 years or over.

Every country in the world is experiencing growth in both the size and the proportion of older persons in the population, and all countries face significant challenges to ensure that their health and social systems can cope with and benefit from this demographic shift.

This shift and the challenges it brings stem from dramatically improved life expectancy. According to Our World in Data, “Since 1900 the global average life expectancy has more than doubled and is now above 70 years [72 years, to be exact]. The inequality of life expectancy is still very large across and within countries. in 2019 the country with the lowest life expectancy is the Central African Republic with 53 years, in Japan life expectancy is 30 years longer.”

In this event, we will discuss a major new documentary project–1 in 6 by 2030–led by Sara Terry, Ed Kashi, and Ilvy Njiokiktjien. This global, collaborative project will bring together photographers worldwide to produce compelling ways of humanizing what is, despite its social significance, a dry statistic on aging and demography.