TASK 1 - 7+ // POPULATION

The graph below shows the proportion of the population aged 65 and over between 1940 and 2040 in three different countries.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The graph illustrates the percentage of those aged 65 and above in the populations of three countries, from 1940, with projections to 2040.

Overall, the graph indicates that while in 1940, the USA and Japan had the highest and lowest proportions of elderly citizens (65+) respectively, these positions are expected to switch by 2024.

Considering the past, the proportion of the elderly in the USA was around 9% in 1940, 2% more than in Sweden and 4% more than in Japan. The elderly populations of the USA and Sweden grew along similar trajectories until about 1982, after which Sweden's jumped to 20%, whereas the USA's flattened out at around 14%. In contrast, Japan's rate fell to 3% in 1960, and only after 1980 did it rise to today's 7%.

Looking forward, after dipping briefly, Sweden's elderly population will reportedly rise to account for a quarter of its population in 2040, and the USA's is forecast to climb to 23%. Meanwhile, in Japan, this contingent is predicted to skyrocket, making up 27% of the population in 2040. (176 words)