Transitions in late-life living arrangements and socio-economic conditions of the elderly in Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia

Abstract EN

Middle East and North Africa’s demographic trends reveal together a growing ageing population and an exceptional growth of the youth population.

Increasing elderly population leads to significant consequences for the cost and organization of health systems.

The rise in life expectancy has changed the arrangement of multigenerational families; relationships in ageing families have become more unstable and less predictable.

In this paper, we investigate - in a gender and geographic perspective – differences in the socio-economic situation of the elderly and the determinants of late-life living arrangements in Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia starting from Labor Market Panel Surveys.

Results are in line with both the different countries’ stages of the demographic transition and welfare state coverages.

The family continues to be the basis for support to older people, as in general in the Arab area.

A relevant socio-political group, calling for policy interventions, is represented by the elderly living alone.