由于医学的发展,人类寿命普遍延长。在发达国家中,妇女平均寿命已达78.3岁,日本妇女为80.48岁,妇女的绝经年龄平均在50岁左右。据世界银行1990年人口调查,全世界50岁以上的妇女约为4.7亿,到2030年预计将增至12亿。90年代绝经后妇女40％生活在发达国家,60％生活在发展中国家。到2030年比例将改为24％与76％。中国50岁以上妇女将为世界首位。 Due to the development of medicine, human life expectancy is generally extended. In developed countries, the average life expectancy of women has reached 78.3 years, that of Japanese women is 80.48 years, and that of women about 50 years on average. According to the World Bank’s 1990 census, the number of women over the age of 50 in the world is estimated at 470 million and projected to rise to 1.2 billion by 2030. About 40% of post-menopausal women in the 1990s live in developed countries and 60% live in developing countries. By 2030 the ratio will change to 24% and 76%. Chinese women over the age of 50 will rank first in the world.