World Bank warns Eastern European countries on ageing problem[fr][de] 

According to a report published on 20 June 2007, many of these countries will have "populations that are among the oldest in the world" by 2025. The World Bank has warned on Eastern European and former Soviet Union countries of risking "severe economic consequences".

"Broader institutional development is still lagging in many countries, even in those that have joined the EU. It is this interaction of the three transitions – demographic, economic and political – that makes the region and its challenges unique," explained Arup Banerji, human development economics manager at the World Bank.

The report finds that the region's population could shrink by almost 24 million by 2025. "One in five Bulgarians will be over 65 years old. The average Slovene will be 47 years old – among the oldest in the world," the study reads.

Therefore, these countries should brace themselves by making pension systems financially sustainable and by taking proactive measures for financing long-term care, the World Bank recommends. This could be done by raising retirement ages and savings from changing the calculus for benefit rates. While reform needs vary by country, the World Bank prescribes a mix of both measures for Lithuania and the Slovak Republic, and a focus on retirement ages for Albania, Romania, Serbia and Turkey.

A particular area of concern is the "expenditure shock of long-term care" for the growing number of old people. "The key is to design delivery arrangements that are substantially less expensive than hospital services," the report stipulates and recommends more support for informal caregivers.