Fact file on emergencies

Climate change means an increasing frequency and intensity of floods, storms and droughts, resulting in scarcities of land, water and energy. At the same time, food crises are affecting many countries around the world and are likely to worsen with the continuing economic crisis. Furthermore, growing urbanisation is causing many more people to live in high-risk areas, such as flood plains. And one-third of humanitarian disasters are caused by violent conflict. Increasing competition for water and agricultural land will only exacerabe this.

Demographic change means that the number of older people affected by emergencies is growing fast.  And with only 0.2% of UN Flash Appeals for humanitarian relief actually targetting older people, there is a danger that people in later life will continue to be marginalised in humanitarian responses.

Ageing population

• Currently people aged 60 and over represent 11.4% of the total world population (794 million); by 2050, the number is predicted to rise to 22% (2 billion).
• By 2015, there will be more people aged 60 and over than aged 14 and under.
• The most rapid increase in the 60+ population is occuring in the developing world, which will see a jump of 225% (to over 1.5 billion) between 2010 and 2050.
• By 2050, more than 80% of older people will live in developing countries - where disasters are more likely to occur and the effect is likely to be greater - compared with 60% today.

Emergencies and disasters

• Disasters disproportionately affect poorer countries - 97% of people killed by disasters live in developing countries.
• Climate-related disasters are increasing: the first four years of the 21st century saw an average of 326 disasters a year - a doubling in twenty years.
• Older people often make up a high proportion of people in displaced people's camps. In Gulu District of northern Uganda, 65% of people still living in displaced people's camps in 2009 were aged over 60.

  • Myths about older people in emergencies
  • Challenges faced by older people in emergencies
  • Return to Emergency relief