In the developed, as well as developing countries, there is an immediate challenge to ensure an adequate supply of health professionals trained in providing care for older people to meet the needs of increasing numbers. Currently 20% of the population of the United Kingdom (UK) is over 60 – 12 million people. By 2031 this proportion will be nearly a third – 18.6 million people. The largest increases are anticipated among the over-85 age group, from 0.8 million in 1987 to 1.4 million in 2025. In Europe the number of people aged over 80 years will double within the next 25 to 30 years. It is estimated that there will be more than 1.2 billion elderly people in the world by the year 2025 – three-quarters of them living in the developing countries.