Living Arrangements of the Elderly: Trends, Drivers, and Implications for Global Aging Societies

David Reher, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Albert Esteve, Center for Demographic Studies (Barcelona)
Federica Becca, Centre for demographic research (CED), Barcelona
Maria Pohl, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Understanding the living arrangements of older adults is crucial for addressing the growing and diverse needs of aging populations. These arrangements vary significantly across societies, as well as by gender and educational level. However, we lack a comprehensive overview of how living arrangements shape the aging process and the macro-level factors that drive this variation across societies. This paper makes use of household-level data from 405 censuses and surveys, including IPUMS and LFS data, harmonized by the Coresidence Living Arrangements database (CoLADB), in order to provide a general classification of the living arrangements of older adults in societies around the world. We identify key demographic and social factors influencing existing patterns of co-residence and empirically validate their impact. Finally, we forecast future trends in old age living arrangements, based to a large extent on UN population projections. The results highlight the vast diversity in living arrangements among older adults, both within and between countries. Gender, marital status, and educational level emerge as critical factors at an individual level, while demographic conditions, development levels, and social norms regarding co-residence contribute to explaining macro-level differences. In the course of this paper, we hope to explore some of the implications of the different outcomes for societies around the world.

Keywords: Older Adults and Intergenerational Relations, Families, Unions and Households, Population Ageing

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