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<dcvalue element="type" qualifier="biblevel" language="es_ES">Sección o Parte de un Documento</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="date" qualifier="issued" language="es_ES">1995</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="language" qualifier="iso" language="es_ES">es</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="callnumber" qualifier="null" language="es_ES">382.3 B584L(58739)</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="contributor" qualifier="author" language="es_ES">Corden, W. Max</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="doctype" qualifier="null" language="es_ES">Coediciones</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="subject" qualifier="spanish" language="es_ES">NAFTA</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="coverage" qualifier="spatialspa" language="es_ES">AMERICA LATINA</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="subject" qualifier="spanish" language="es_ES">LIBERALIZACION DEL INTERCAMBIO</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="subject" qualifier="spanish" language="es_ES">NEGOCIACIONES COMERCIALES</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="subject" qualifier="spanish" language="es_ES">TRATADOS</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="subject" qualifier="spanish" language="es_ES">ZONAS DE LIBRE COMERCIO</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="subject" qualifier="english" language="es_ES">FREE TRADE AREAS</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="coverage" qualifier="spatialeng" language="es_ES">LATIN AMERICA</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="subject" qualifier="english" language="es_ES">TRADE LIBERALIZATION</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="subject" qualifier="english" language="es_ES">TRADE NEGOTIATIONS</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="subject" qualifier="english" language="es_ES">TREATIES</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="subject" qualifier="english" language="es_ES">NAFTA</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="title" qualifier="null" language="es_ES">Una zona de libre comercio en el Hemisferio Occidental: posibles implicancias para América Latina</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="description" qualifier="null" language="es_ES">Incluye Bibliografía</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="relation" qualifier="ispartof" language="es_ES">En: La liberalización del comercio en el Hemisferio Occidental - Washington, DC : BID/CEPAL, 1995 - p. 13-40</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="project" qualifier="null" language="es_ES">Proyecto Apoyo al Proceso de Liberalización Comercial en el Hemisferio Occidental</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="identifier" qualifier="uri" language="">http://hdl.handle.net/11362/1510</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="date" qualifier="accessioned" language="">2014-01-02T14:51:16Z</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="date" qualifier="available" language="">2014-01-02T14:51:16Z</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="description" qualifier="provenance" language="es_ES">Made available in DSpace on 2014-01-02T14:51:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0
  Previous issue date: 1995</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="topic" qualifier="spanish" language="es_ES">POLÍTICA COMERCIAL Y ACUERDOS COMERCIALES</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="topic" qualifier="english" language="es_ES">TRADE NEGOTIATIONS</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="workarea" qualifier="spanish" language="es_ES">COMERCIO INTERNACIONAL E INTEGRACIÓN</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="workarea" qualifier="english" language="es_ES">INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INTEGRATION</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="type" qualifier="null" language="es_ES">Texto</dcvalue>
<dcvalue element="bodyfulltext">
CELADE, Population Division of ECLAC 

Number 1 - 2013

Turning Points in Mexico’s Ageing Future
2027: The end of the youth society
2013

2040

Population by age group
50

40

Millions

Young people have dominated Mexico’s demographic scene
during the last century. They reached their peak size in 2010,
when people under age 20 accounted for 39% of the population.
But this percentage has been declining, and the largest cohort
of Mexicans has already been born, around 1991. It is projected
that in 2027 young people will no longer be the dominant
demographic group and this will mark the end of the youth
society in Mexico1. A large wave is moving through Mexico’s
population age structure as the large cohorts born when high
fertility was the norm advance through their life cycle and move
from youth to adulthood to old age. The size of the working age
groups will peak in 2031 for ages 20-39 and in 2051 for ages
40-59. The population of older persons will increase rapidly
until the end of the century and will peak at 48.3 million in 2085.

30
End of youth society
(The age group 0 to
19 is no longer the
largest group)

20

10

0
1950

1975

2000

2025

2050

2075

2100

2035: Mexico becomes an aged economy
2013

50

2040

Consumption by Youth and older persons

Percent of aggregate consumption

Mexico is expected to become an aged economy in 2035.
In that year, for the first time in the history of the country, older
persons will consume more (of all good and services, both public
and private) than youth2. Japan became the world’s first aged
economy in 1996. Currently, there are 19 aged economies, all
European economies with the exception of Japan. According
to the latest projections based on NTA, in 2040 there will be 73
aged economies, among them Brazil, Costa Rica, Chile, Cuba,
and Uruguay. By the end of this century, most of the world’s
economies will be aged economies, leading to an increased
demand for health care and other programs and services for
older persons. This will put pressure on governments as many
of these programs are provided by the public sector and on
families caring for older family members.

40
Older Persons
(ages 60+)

30
Beginning of the aged
economy (persons ages
60+ consume more than
persons ages 0-19)

20

Youth (ages 0-19)

10

0
1950

1975

2000

2025

2050

2075

2100

2033: Most productive population
2013

1.1

1.0

2040

Economic support ratio: producers/consumers

Relative to 2013 using 2004 NTA weights

The age structure of a population affects the economy
by changing the distribution of people in ages of high
labour productivity relative to their consumption. If the
current age patterns of production and consumption
persist, the age distribution will continue to favour
producers in relation to consumers during the
next two decades reflected in the increase of the
economic support ratio3 until 2033. This situation
represents a potential “demographic dividend” – a
surplus generated by the economy that, if invested in
health, education, and infrastructure, can move the
economy permanently to a path of higher production,
consumption and living standards. However,
beginning in 2033, it is projected that the economic
support ratio will decline steadily as the percentage of
older persons in the population increases. This new
situation will pose increasing economic challenges
for Mexico.

Population
concentrated at ages
of highest labour
productivity

0.9
Support
ratio
increases
by 3%

0.8

0.7
1950

1975

2000

2025

2050

2075

2100

2018: Fiscally-strongest population
2013

2040

Fiscal support ratio: taxpayers/beneficiaries

Relative to 2013 using 2004 NTA weights

During the last decades, changes in the age structure
of the population have contributed positively to
improve the fiscal situation of Mexico. However,
this favourable outlook will soon end. The ageing
population will mean growing fiscal pressures as
the number of beneficiaries of public programmes
increases relative to the number of taxpayers.
The fiscal support ratio, the ratio of taxpayers to
beneficiaries, summarizes this trend4. This ratio is
expected to reach its peak in 2018 and then decline
sharply. In the short term, it is expected that the fiscal
support ratio will fall by 5% by 2040. In 2100, the
ratio is projected to be approximately 0.76 taxpayers
per beneficiary, relative to a value of 1 in 2013.
Demographic trends after 2018 will increasingly
contribute to the fiscal challenges Mexico will face.

Population age
distribution
favours
taxpayers over
beneficiaries

1.0

0.9
Fiscal
support
ratio
declines by
5%

0.8

0.7
1950

1975

2000

2025

2050

2075

2100

About the National Transfer Account (NTA) Network

The NTA Network brings together researchers from different regions of the world using a new methodology: National Transfer Accounts. NTAs provide a
new vision of economic relationships between groups in a national economy: between young and old, between men and women, between rich and poor.
For the first time, we can measure the complete set of economic flows between these population groups and determine the roles played by the market (via
labour and financial markets), the state (via taxes and benefits), and the family (via transfers within and between households) in defining these economic
relationships. The NTAs represent a disaggregation of National Accounts by age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Applying the same NTA framework
in all the countries in the NTA network allows for international comparisons of consumption, labour earnings, taxation, savings and other economic flows
by age, gender and socioeconomic status. CELADE – the Population Division of ECLAC is responsible for the regional coordination of the NTA Network
in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Policy options for the ageing future
Although policy interventions aimed
at delaying population ageing by
promoting immigration or increasing
fertility can have some effect, their
impact tends to be very limited.
In order to effectively confront the
economic challenges of population
ageing, policies should focus mainly
on economic and social factors.
Three illustrative scenarios that
examine policy options for Mexico’s
ageing future are presented in
this section. The first reviews the
impact of extending working lives,
the second explores closing the
gender gap in labour earnings, and

the third examines raising taxes. The
scenarios are all population-driven
in that they reflect policies adopted
to respond to changes in population
age structure. Once the age structure
of the population completes its
transformation from a child-dominated
population to a senior-dominated
population (towards the end of the
this century), the economic impacts of
these policy options also end.
The scenarios are based on several
simplifying assumptions in order to
assess the sustainability of current
policies and practices as measured
by the economic support ratio and

the fiscal support ratio. They assume
no changes in the levels of coverage
and benefits of public services. Each
scenario evaluates one policy option.
Logically, countries have an array of
different policy options available to
them. These options are not mutually
exclusive and usually a mix of options
form the basis of national policy. The
estimates generated in the context
of the NTA project which examine
economic activity by age, gender,
and socioeconomic status provide a
rich source of information for further
analysis of these and other national
policy options.

Delay retirement to maintain productivity
Years of retirement delay
2040

2013

5
Years of retirement delay to maintain 2013 support ratio

One way to counteract the effects of population ageing on
productivity is to induce people to extend their working lives
and delay retirement. We saw that in the case of Mexico, the
short and medium run outlook for productivity is favourable.
In fact, under the assumption considered in this exercise, the
economic support ratio will be 3% larger in 2040 compared to
2013. However, in a long run perspective, delaying retirement
would mitigate the effects of ageing on productivity5 while
additionally generating increased tax revenue. The option
to extend working lives may be reasonable in a context of
increasing healthy life expectancy and social protection
policies aimed at supporting those for whom the delay in
retirement would be an undue hardship. If this were the only
policy option used, an additional 5 years of working life would
be required to maintain productivity at its current level until the
end of the century. Over this same period, life expectancy at
birth is expected to increase by about 9 years.

4

3

It is not necessary
to change
retirement age in
order to maintain
productivity at
2013 level until
2040

2

1

By 2090, retirement age
must be raised by an
average of 5 years to
maintain 2013 productivity

0
2000

2025

2050

2075

2100

2040

Gender gap in labour earnings

60

2013

In Mexico, women in the most productive working ages
(between 30 and 49) only bring home 42% of what men
earn. This gap reflects lower labour force participation of
women, fewer hours of work per week, and lower wages per
hour worked. Many women specialize in home production,
performing unpaid work that benefits the family and the
productivity of other workers in the family. From the perspective
of the national economy, however, overall productivity would
increase if women’s participation in the formal labour market
were closer to that of men. Reducing the 2013 gender gap in
labour earnings by increasing labour earnings of women from
42% to 54% of what men earn would completely counteract the
negative impact of population ageing on economic productivity
during this century6. Measures to close the gender gap, such
as (1) investing in women and girls’ education, (2) instituting
family leave policies that support working mothers, and (3)
fighting gender discrimination in the workplace are a key set

Female labour income as a percentage of male labour income
necessary to maintain 2013 support ratio

Close the gender gap to maintain productivity

55

Bringing womens
income to 54% of
mens eliminates the
productivity impact of
population ageing

Gender
convergence in
labour income is
not necessary to
maintain 2013
support ratio
through 2040

50

45

40
2000

2025

2050

2075

2100

of policy options to maintain the support ratio in the face of
population ageing.

Increase taxes to maintain fiscal balance

2040

2013

Percent increase in taxes relative to 2013 to maintain fiscal
support ratio at its 2013 level

The fiscal support ratio forecast showed that, based on
current tax and benefit programs, population ageing will
quickly strain Mexico’s public finances. One way to solve
this problem is to raise taxes to meet the growing demand
for public programs, such as pensions and health care
programs for older persons. If the tax increase were the only
policy change implemented, taxes would need to rise by only
5% to maintain the current fiscal balance through 20407. In
the longer term, however, the tax increase necessary to
offset the full impact of populating ageing on government
budgets rises to 32%.

Tax increase
30

20
Raise taxes by 5%
to maintain 2013
fiscal balance until
2040

Ultimately, taxes would have
to rise by 32% relative to 2013
to support public services for
the aging population

10

0
2000

2025

2050

2075

2100

Notes on Data and Methods:


Data for the analysis were taken from Iván Mejía-Guevara, “NTA Data for Mexico, 2004”, National Transfer Accounts Project, 2012.



For detailed methodological information, see Gretchen Donehower (2013), “Methods used for estimations for Ageing Futures Series”, NTA Project,
[online] www.cepal.org/celade/NTA.


Population estimates and projections were obtained from United Nations, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision, [online] http://esa.
un.org/unpd/wpp/Excel-Data/ population.htm.



We estimate and project aggregate consumption (public and private goods and services) by multiplying the NTA estimate of average consumption by
age for 2004 by the population age structure in each year over the period 1950-2100. Details on the NTA estimates for Mexico in 2004 are available
in Iván Mejía-Guevara (2011), “The economic lifecycle and intergenerational redistribution in Mexico”, Population Aging and the Generational
Economy: A Global Perspective, R. Lee and A. Mason, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar, p. 283-496.



The economic support ratio is the ratio of the sum of the population by age, weighting each age by average labour earnings estimated from the
NTA, and the sum of the population by age, weighting each age by average consumption estimated from the NTA. The calculation assumes that
the patterns of labour income and consumption by age remain fixed at their 2004 levels, and that only the size and age distribution of the population
changes.



The fiscal support ratio is calculated in the same way as the economic support ratio (see note 3), but the numerator is weighted by average taxes
paid by age and the denominator is weighted by average benefits received by age. This is a useful and easy to calculate indicator. Using data derived
from the NTA, it is possible to obtain more realistic long-term budget forecasts.



The analysis is based on calculating the economic support ratio. If the support ratio falls below the 2013 level, the labour income schedule by age is
shifted to the right, from the point of peak labour income, representing a delay in average retirement by one year, until the support ratio is at or above
the 2013 level.



The gender gap is measured using data on labour force participation, hours worked and average wage by gender from Socio-Economic Database
for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEDLAS and The World Bank), (see [online] http://sedlac.econo.unlp.edu.ar/eng/statistics-by-gender.php
access in December 2012). The analysis involves calculating the reduction in the gender gap necessary to maintain the economic support ratio at its
2013 level.



The tax rate increase necessary to maintain the fiscal support ratio at 2013 levels is the inverse of the fiscal support ratio.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

This document was prepared by Gretchen Donehower, consultant for the Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre (CELADE) – Population Division of the
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), under the supervision of Paulo Saad, Chief of the Population and Development Section, and Tim
Miller, Population Affairs Officer of the same division. The study was developed as part of the project on “Population aging and development: National Transfer Accounts
in Latin America and the Caribbean”, funded by the International Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada. Additional funding was provided by the Centre for Economics and
Demography Aging, University of California, Berkeley.
The opinions expressed in this document, which has been reproduced without formal editing, are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect
those of the Organization.


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