A geographical analysis of the characteristics of the elderly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2010

Abstract

The current study analyzed the reality of the elderly in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, their geographical distribution, and their demographic, social, and economic characteristics, due to the issue of the elderly being of great significance in the world, as their numbers have increased at rapid rates over the past years. One of the objectives of this study is to monitor the change in the number of elderly people in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia until 2010, to know the variation in the distribution of their percentages at the level of administrative regions in KSA, then to know their demographic, social and economic characteristics, and to draw future trends for the number of elderly people in KSA. This study adopted the descriptive and analytical approach, which depends on describing the phenomenon accurately using statistical methods and various means of highlighting and analyzing data, such as percentages and some measures such as the rate of elderly people, as well as graphs and maps. Among the most important conclusions of the study is that Jazan, Najran, and Al-Baha are considered the regions in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that contain the least elderly people, with percentages of (56), (54), and (52%), respectively. This may be due to the fact that they are rural areas that do not attract residents and have fewfacilities health care that are suitable for the elderly compared to major cities. It is expected that the percentage of the elderly aged 65 and over in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will reach (17.4%) of the total population of the Kingdom by the end of 2035, and (58.2%) by the year 2065, i.e. approximately half Community residents. The study found many recommendations, the most important of which are: to take into consideration the expected population increase of the elderly in the Kingdom, working on proper planning and increasing services in all areas that they need in order to avoid a deficit in providing services to them, which would have a negative influence on society, and creating a comprehensive database especially for all matters related to the elderly in the Kingdom, including statistics and studies.