Recipes for Systemic Change - Helsinki Design Lab

D1.1 Origins Of The WaveThe Silver Wave is a particularly large population for a certain generation.This imbalance is a consequence of the confluence of a number of factors:extremely high fertility rates after World War II, steadily increasinglife expectancy, and dramatically declining infant mortality rates. Additionally,the fertility rate has remained below the replacement rate for morethan a generation, so more people are exiting the workforce than entering it.At the end of World War II, the number of births in Finland reacheda historical high. September 1945 saw an all-time record of 12,000 birthsin a single month, while 1947 set a record with 108,168 total births. At thattime, the national fertility rate was 3.5 births per woman and has droppedto 1.8 births per woman, a figure that has been constant for the past threedecades.Life expectancy at birth and total fertility rate in Finland, 1960-2050Life expectancy at birth908580Female LifeexpectancyMale Lifeexpectancy2.82.62.42.2Fertility rate752.0701.865Fertility rate1.6601.4|1960|1970|1980|1990|2000|2010|2020|2030|2040|2050Data from 2001-2050 is projectedSourceOECD HealthData (2001)and StatisticsFinlandSince World War II, the life expectancy of Finnish citizens has been onthe rise. After national independence, life expectancies for men and womenhave risen from 43/49 to 76/83 years of age, and represent one consequenceof a dramatic increase in the Finnish standard of living. With its historyof innovation, Finland has managed to address life-threatening problemssuch as a very high incidence of cardiovascular disease (especially amongmen). During the post-war and post-independence period, Finland has alsosignificantly reduced its infant mortality rate, which is currently one of thelowest in the world at under 0.5%. (Statistics Finland)284