Question

As people are living longer and the world's population is increasing, there are more and more people ages 65 or older. In 2000, approximately 419 million people were 65 or older. By 2017, that number increased to 656 million. On the two questions below, round to the nearest tenth when relevant a. What was the absolute change in the number of people 65 or older from 2000 to 2017? b. What was the relative change in the number of people 65 or older from 2000 to 2017?

Answer 1

In 2000 there were 419 million people 65 or older

In 2017 there were 656 million people 65 or older

a)

To calculate the absolute change in the number of people 65 and older you have to subtract the initial number (on year 2000) from the final number (in year 2017)

`656000000-419000000=240000000`

The absolute change is 240millions

b)

The relative change is the percentage of change. To calculate it you have to calculate the difference between the final number and the initial number, divide the result by the initial number and multiply it by 100

`(240000000)/(419000000)\cdot100=57.279\cong57.30`

The relative change is 57.30%