This Staggering Map Shows How Much The World's Population Is Aging

Longer lifespans and lower birthrates in recent years have led to a U.S. population that has almost as many people over age 85 as under age 5.

America is already seeing its over-60 population grow, thanks in large part to aging Baby Boomers, and a map from the Global AgeWatch Index shows that the trend is far from over.

In 2012, less than 20% of the U.S. population was over 60 years old. But by 2050, people over age 60 are expected to account for 25-29% of the U.S. population.

Other countries are expected to follow a similar upward trend.

Check it out:

Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia will see some of the largest differences in population by 2050:

In 2012, 809 million people, or 11% of the world's population, were over 60. By 2050, about 2 billion people are expected to be over 60, which represents 22% of the world's population.

Pew Research Center has pointed out that this is "uncharted territory" for humanity and that the aging population is likely to create political and economic stress as a smaller number of working adults will be expected to finance retirements for larger numbers of older people.