Boom in grandfathers

A "grandfather boom" is rippling through the world's population as it heads for the nine billion mark by 2050, putting pressure on health care and pension systems, population experts will hear this week.

"In most Western countries, 2005 marks a new demographic shock: the grandfather boom will introduce a delicate balance between the working and non-working," said Catherine Rollet, president of the organising committee of the conference of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population.

The four-day conference of 2000 demographers, economists, geographers and sociologists from 110 countries will be held in the city of Tours in central France starting on Wednesday.