Ageing, from both individual and collective points of view, is now a subject of increasing social interest and a key item on public agendas because of its repercussions in several spheres of social and economic life. One line of research looks into advances in longevity and transformations in the patterns of morbidity and mortality in the population, with special attention to studying the most recent trends in mortality at advanced ages as a key element in forecasting the future evolution of mortality. Another area is concerned with changes in the state of health in the population and situations of dependence among elderly people, this analysis using a conceptual and methodological approach which incorporates the socio-demographic characteristics of people in this situation, their family and social setting, and the personal care they receive, both formal and informal. The final sphere of research approaches demographic ageing not only in terms of its causes and consequences but also reformulating the concept itself and the instruments used to analyse it.
