Germany is one of only four countries with a dedicated insurance system for long-term care. But as the population ages rapidly and birth rates remain low, the system in its current form may not be sustainable.

In Germany and many other countries, life expectancy is going up. More and more people live longer and enter an age when they may need care. At the same time birth rates have not been high enough to replace the population since the early 1970s and continue to be low. The result is less money for an increasing number of people in need of care.

The full report is available at http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/90/1/12-020112.pdf