Abstract:
The aging of the population is one of the greatest triumphs of humanity and, also, one of the
great demographic challenges of our time. Over the course of the 21st century, global aging
will cause an increase in social and economic demands across the world. However, until
today, the elderly are generally ignored as a resource, when, in fact, they constitute an
important resource for the structure of our societies. The phenomenon is, above all, a success
story for public health policies, as well as for social and economic development. For
centuries, the elderly were seen as the wisest, in different communities around the world and,
in particular, in African ones, where they have been patriarchs of decisions and transmissions
of teachings. However, the elderly in Mozambique and in the world are going through
difficult times, mainly regarding their valorization, since many elderly people are neglected,
due to the fact that they are not economically active and need special care. In the second half
of the 20th century, the regions of Latin America and Asia registered rapid and profound
changes in vital rates, reaching fertility levels close to those of more developed countries
(Alves 2008; Bongaarts 2001; Bloom et al. 2003; UN 2007). The demographic statistics of
Mozambique (from four demographic censuses, from 1980, 1997, 2007 and 2017) indicate a
growing trend in the elderly population, thus deserving greater attention from the point of
view of public policies. This study aims to analyze the evolution of the elderly population in
Mozambique and its challenges. For this purpose, an exploratory analysis of data from the
demographic censuses from 1980 to 2017, the government's five-year plans, law 3/2014 of 5
February and other relevant documents were used.
