Evolution of age pyramids

There is a gradual evolution both in the orientation of priorities and in the contour of age pyramids in the third world. In countries such as Chile and Cuba, more than 10% of the population is now over 65 years of age [6]. Most contemporary reviews are full of the demographic projections of the expansion of the older population for the year 2000 or the year l 2020 in a global sense, a globe composed primarily of - poor countries [7]. It is not so much the demographic facts, but the reflex pattern of attending to maternal and child health to the exclusion of other population groups, that needs to be addressed. Again, the convening of this meeting and the financial support from the European Economic Community testify to some recognition of the demographic imperatives.