BROADCASTS.com

For years, the major problem of world demography was thought to be the risk of over-population. Now, it's the fact that the global population is ageing fast.

According to the United Nations, the number of people over 65 is set to double between now and 2050, to 1.6 billion people. And, at the same time, the birth rate in most of the world is falling, often sharply.\nThis demographic shift comes with huge social and economic implications. What are they, and what can we do to cope with them? \t\t

Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:

Stephanie Hegarty, BBC Global Population Correspondent\nMarco Valerio Lo Prete, Economics Editor at Italian State Broadcaster RAI and author of \u201cItalians: The Unhappy Few\u201d\nRobert Kelly., Professor of Political Science at Pusan National University, South Korea \nCamilla Cavendish, Senior Fellow at Harvard University\nIan Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development at the Oxford Martin School

Producers: Simon Watts, Kirsteen Knight and Octavia Woodward\nEditor: Richard Vadon\nStudio manager: Rod Farquhar\nProduction co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed