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Overview

Africa remains the youngest region in the world. According to the 2024 Revision of the World Population Prospects, average life expectancy at birth in Africa is approximately 64 years, below the global average. Fertility levels remain comparatively high in many countries, and pressing development priorities including poverty reduction, employment, health access and education, continue to shape national agendas. 

At the same time, a quieter demographic shift is underway. Africa is undergoing a demographic transition marked by a steadily growing older population. While Sub-Saharan Africa remains at an earlier stage of ageing and Northern Africa at an intermediate stage, both sub-regions are projected to experience the fastest growth in the number of older persons globally over the next three decades. 

The implications cut across multiple policy areas such as labour markets, informal employment, agriculture, income security, health systems, care arrangements and urban planning. Informal employment remains widespread, shaping income security in later life. Social protection coverage for older persons is expanding in several countries but remains uneven. Health systems are navigating a complex epidemiological landscape, addressing communicable diseases alongside a growing burden of non-communicable conditions. 

In this context, ageing in Africa cannot be viewed in isolation. It intersects with employment, gender equality, disability inclusion, rural livelihoods, urbanization and human rights. It calls for informed, forward-looking policy dialogue, not because Africa is becoming 鈥渙ld,鈥� but because demographic realities are evolving in ways that warrant attention. 

The moment therefore calls for dialogue grounded in demographic evidence, aligned with continental and global frameworks, and attentive to the well-being, human rights and dignity of older persons. 

Taking place at the margins of the seventieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), this event follows the Ministerial Round Table on accelerating the achievement of gender equality by addressing the empowerment of all older women, convened on 11 March. Building on that exchange, it brings forward demographic evidence and policy perspectives from across Africa, extending the discussion through a focused regional lens. In doing so, it aims to help translate commitments into context-responsive approaches and to contribute substantively to CSW70 deliberations on advancing the empowerment, rights and dignity of older women. 

The session will serve as an awareness-raising and dialogue platform on the implications of demographic ageing in Africa. It will provide a timely opportunity to situate ageing within Africa鈥檚 broader development agenda and to highlight the ongoing fifth review and appraisal of the Madrid Plan of Action. 

As an initial step, the event seeks to elevate visibility, strengthen shared understanding and lay the groundwork for future Pan-Africa Dialogue Series on Ageing and Development 2026. 

Documents

• Concept note
• Flyer

Organization of work