Older People: The Unseen Asset of Our Walloon Society.

Older People: The Unseen Asset of Our Walloon Society.

The ageing population is generally discussed in terms of its cost. The reality is far more positive for society as a whole, and for Wallonia in particular.

I suggest we look at it from the perspective of what it contributes and brings.

Fortunately… life goes on, and the ‘young-old’ refuse to spend their days sitting in an armchair. Having always been active, they enjoy and feel the need to stay active, to be useful and to live life to the full.

Much of their activity is unpaid. It therefore features little, if at all, in traditional economic indicators.

Recognising what older people contribute helps to combat a reductive view of old age as a largely passive, costly or dependent stage of life.

This recognition becomes particularly important when considering the issue of elder abuse.

Wallonia has research and schemes that enable us to go further.

The challenge could be to bring this data together in a genuine Walloon ‘account of older people’s contributions’, in order to measure not only what ageing demands of society, but also what older people contribute to the economy, families, organisations, local authorities and social cohesion. Such an approach would shift the focus from the cost of ageing to its overall value.

Methodological note: This article focuses on data relating to Wallonia. Where Walloon sources do not provide a comparable indicator, certain Belgian or European data are explicitly retained for contextual purposes and are not presented as measures of Wallonia’s contribution.

A Large Population in Wallonia

In 2025, Wallonia had a population of 3,657,024, of whom 721,397 were aged over 65, representing 20.2 per cent of the Walloon population.

Approximately one in five people in Wallonia is aged 65 or over.

According to projections by the Federal Planning Bureau, as reported by the IWEPS, the proportion of people aged 65 and over in Wallonia could reach 30.1 per cent by 2081, compared with 20.2 per cent in 2025. The proportion of people aged 80 and over is expected to rise from 5.1 per cent in 2025 to 12.5 per cent in 2081.

Demographic ageing therefore represents a profound transformation of Walloon society.

Older People Are Not Merely Recipients of Services: They Are Also Providers

Older people who continue to work produce market goods or services, the value of which is recorded in economic transactions.

They may also provide numerous non-market services that are unpaid and therefore generally absent from traditional economic accounts, including:

• looking after grandchildren;

• caring for someone who is unwell;

• supporting loved ones;

• volunteering;

• community involvement;

• civic engagement;

• informal support;

• managing a household;

• proofreading and correcting documents;

• carrying out various repairs;

• passing on knowledge;

• providing social support;

• maintaining family ties;

• transmitting culture;

• creating memories and contributing to collective memory.

The Economic Value of Older People

The IWEPS itself emphasises that the contribution of older people to the economy must not be overlooked and identifies several forms of value creation: investment capacity, voluntary and community work, and participation in the labour market.

Its study on the Silver Economy in Wallonia examines in detail the economic activities linked to the needs and aspirations of older people, as well as opportunities for economic development and employment. It also encourages consideration of investment capacity, voluntary and community work, and participation in the labour market.

The economic contribution of older people therefore extends far beyond their potential consumption of products specifically intended for older people.

The Silver Economy

The Silver Economy refers to a cross-cutting set of economic activities addressing the needs and opportunities associated with an ageing population.

It relates in particular to:

• health;

• housing;

• home adaptations;

• home automation;

• technology;

• care;

• mobility;

• services;

• tourism;

• leisure;

• culture;

• independence;

• home care services.

The IWEPS emphasises that the Silver Economy does not constitute a single sector. It cuts across many sectors of the economy.

Wallonia has taken a specific interest in this issue following a resolution adopted by the Walloon Parliament on 19 April 2017, which tasked the IWEPS with studying the potential for developing a Walloon Silver Economy.

Older People and Paid Work?

According to the ONSS, in 2025, flexi-job workers aged 65 and over accounted for 16.1 per cent of all flexi-job workers and 30.3 per cent of the total volume of work in full-time equivalents.

Their number increased by 21.3 per cent compared with 2024. The ONSS notes that it can be assumed that the majority of these workers aged 65 and over are pensioners.

Older People Keep the Economy Going Through Their Consumption

In Wallonia, households in which the reference person is over 60 account for between 27 and 31 per cent of total household expenditure, according to the three household budget surveys examined by the IWEPS.

In other words, the expenditure of one in three households is attributable to a household in which the reference person is over 60.

Tourism

Older people also contribute to tourism.

The data available for Wallonia identify tourism as one of the sectors affected by the behaviour of older people, but the sources consulted do not yet allow for a precise quantification of their specific tourism expenditure in Wallonia.

Tourism among older people nevertheless represents a customer base that must be taken into account in tourism policies and in the local economy.

Their presence helps support, among other things:

• accommodation;

• restaurants;

• transport;

• shops;

• museums;

• tourist attractions;

• cultural activities;

• beauty and relaxation treatments;

• local services.

Tourism is particularly relevant in demonstrating that older people can contribute to the economies of areas that are sometimes far from major urban centres.

Grandparents: An Invisible Family Force

In Belgium, according to Statbel, nearly 600,000 grandparents spend at least one hour a week looking after a grandchild under the age of 15.

In 60 per cent of cases, the youngest grandchild is under five years old. These figures are national and provide a useful indication of the scale of this contribution in the absence of a comparable Walloon breakdown in the sources consulted.

In Wallonia, this family contribution deserves to be regarded as a genuine component of social functioning. Occasional childcare, accompanying grandchildren to activities, driving them around, helping with homework, preparing meals or simply being there enable families to function and free up time for other activities.

Older People as Carers

Research on ageing in Wallonia also highlights the importance of informal care and the support provided by relatives.

In particular, the IWEPS noted that around 19.5 per cent of Walloon municipalities were facing a problematic situation in which the provision of care fell short of identified needs. The study also highlights the difficulties associated with family support, caring for people who are ill and accessing affordable solutions, as well as the need to provide better support for informal carers.

Many older people are carers themselves.

Recent data from Statbel indicate that 800,000 Belgian family carers form part of this group of carers who are themselves older.

Volunteering

Older people are also key players in volunteering and community life.

The data available for Wallonia provide a concrete indication of the scale of this contribution: an analysis based on the King Baudouin Foundation’s study on volunteering indicates that 6.6 per cent of the Walloon population is involved in organised volunteering. Among people aged over 60, the rate rises to 7.2 per cent.

Moreover, people aged over 60 account for nearly one in three volunteers and report more hours of voluntary work on average.

A significant part of the voluntary sector relies on their willingness to help.

Community and Civic Engagement

As we have seen, older people’s engagement extends beyond volunteering. They also participate in civic life.

Initiatives such as ‘Wallonie Amie des Aînés’ rely in particular on the participation of older people in discussions about their living environment.

Wallonia has trialled this approach in six pilot municipalities — Braine-l’Alleud, Farciennes, Vaux-sur-Sûre, Namur, Malmedy and Sprimont — as part of a participatory action research project carried out with, by and for older people.

Today, the AVIQ reports that around 40 Walloon municipalities are involved in the ‘Wallonie Amie des Aînés’ initiative. This scheme demonstrates that older people’s views can be directly incorporated into the design of local policies, public spaces, transport, housing, safety and leisure activities.

Improvements for Older People Benefit the Whole Population

Facilities designed to make life easier for older people can also improve the lives of many others.

A lowered kerb makes getting around easier, while more accessible public transport also benefits the whole population.

Better signage helps many people find their way around.

Better-lit public spaces enhance the sense of safety for different groups of citizens.

A bench allows an older person to rest, but can also be used by a pregnant woman, someone who is unwell, a passer-by, a reader or a child.

Designing the city with the needs of older people in mind can therefore help make society more accessible to everyone.

Older People and the Transmission of Knowledge

The value of older people lies not only in the services they provide. It also lies in what they know.

Over the course of a lifetime, a person accumulates:

• professional knowledge;

• practical skills;

• know-how;

• life experience;

• knowledge of local areas;

• memories of social change;

• techniques that are sometimes at risk of disappearing.

The transmission of this knowledge can have economic as well as cultural value. It therefore constitutes a form of intangible production and forms part of a region’s intangible heritage.

Social Value: Fostering Connections

A society also functions thanks to the relationships between people, which themselves form the basis of economic, social, political and cultural interactions.

Older people can contribute to this ‘economy of connection’.

The IWEPS specifically emphasises the need to strengthen social ties, to give older people a place in society and to encourage their participation. The social role of older people is therefore not limited to providing material assistance: their presence, their memories, their experience and their ability to maintain relationships also constitute a collective resource.

In particular, they can help reduce isolation among people of all ages and prevent tragedies. They can foster a sense of belonging and strengthen social cohesion. This represents a potential social contribution, rather than an automatic consequence of ageing.

The Invisible Economy of Older People

It would be possible to establish a genuine ‘account of older people’s contributions’.

For Wallonia, such an account could start with a few indicators that are already available:

• 721,397 residents aged 65 and over in 2025;

• 27 to 31 per cent of Walloon household expenditure associated with households in which the reference person is over 60;

• 6.6 per cent of the Walloon population involved in organised volunteering, rising to 7.2 per cent among people aged 60 and over;

• around 40 municipalities participating in the ‘Wallonie Amie des Aînés’ scheme;

• 42,992 Walloon recipients of the GRAPA benefit aged over 65, an indicator of the diversity of economic circumstances.

These figures do not yet fully capture the contribution made by older people, but they show that a Walloon statistical basis already exists and could be supplemented by indicators relating to work, informal care, volunteering, civic participation and knowledge transfer.

The following categories could be distinguished:

Direct economic contribution

• employment;

• working beyond the statutory retirement age;

• self-employment;

• flexi-jobs;

• consumption;

• tourism;

• investment.

Indirect economic contribution

• looking after grandchildren;

• informal care;

• family support;

• volunteering;

• services provided free of charge.

Social contribution

• community life;

• civic engagement;

• support;

• combating isolation;

• building connections.

Family contribution

• childcare;

• presence;

• support;

• passing on knowledge;

• mediation;

• creating memories.

Cultural contribution

• memory;

• heritage;

• skills and know-how;

• traditions;

• stories.

Emotional contribution

• affection;

• presence;

• a sense of belonging;

• family continuity;

• creating memories.

Such an accounting system would help make these various contributions visible. A monetary valuation could then be considered for certain activities measurable in hours, provided that the method used is specified — for example, a replacement cost or an opportunity cost — and that this accounting valuation is clearly distinguished from moral or human value.

Caring for Older People Means Preserving a Treasure

While older people contribute to society in so many ways, their health and independence take on collective significance.

Indeed, preserving their health helps safeguard their ability to:

• participate;

• help;

• work when they wish and are able to;

• look after their grandchildren;

• volunteer;

• support a loved one;

• maintain their relationships;

• pass on their knowledge;

• remain active participants in their own lives.

The Health of Older People Creates Wealth

The health and independence of older people also have an economic dimension. When these are preserved, people can continue participating in work, volunteering, family and community life, and civic engagement for longer.

Health expenditure generates, in particular:

• income for a professional;

• business activity;

• employment;

• purchases of equipment;

• the operation of an establishment;

• tax and social security revenue at various stages of the economic chain.

Ageing in Good Health Enables People to Continue Participating

A person who retains a good degree of independence can continue for longer to take part in the many activities that create value, whether or not that value has a monetary price. Health and independence are therefore not merely individual and economic issues. They also have a social dimension.

The Issue of Abuse

It is here that the discussion on the value of older people intersects with the issue at the heart of our approach.

An older person who is viewed solely as a burden may more easily be reduced to their needs and become a victim.

Yet this view is false and incomplete, as we have just seen.

Recognising older people’s contributions, their right to have a say, their experience, their decision-making capacity, and their emotional, family and social lives — and recognising that they can still give as much as they can receive — is vital in the fight against abuse. It can help foster a more harmonious and fulfilling society in which the value added by older people is appreciated and encouraged.

Abuse in Private Settings

Elder abuse can take various forms, some of which are ‘invisible’. Examples include:

• psychological abuse;

• sexual abuse;

• financial abuse;

• administrative abuse;

• relational abuse;

• neglect;

• institutional abuse.

Financial abuse is of particular concern in a population in which some individuals may be vulnerable to the exploitation of their assets or income.

Institutional Abuse and Collective Responsibility

Abuse should not be viewed solely as the act of a malicious individual. Institutional practices can also lead to neglect, dehumanisation or a loss of autonomy.

We must therefore examine:

• procedures;

• care conditions;

• access to care;

• respect for rights;

• freedom of choice;

• access to information;

• the opportunity to challenge a decision;

• the quality of support;

• respect for privacy;

• the consideration given to older people’s views.

This is not to suggest that the State or institutions mistreat older people in any particular way. The aim is to highlight that systems themselves must be assessed on the basis of their impact on individuals.

Organisations in Wallonia Are Already Taking Action

Wallonia has organisations committed to preventing abuse and supporting people affected by it.

• ‘Respect Seniors’ is a Walloon organisation specialising in this issue.

Its annual reports highlight a significant number of cases in which support has been provided and forms of abuse identified.

These figures represent only the cases known to the organisation. Respect Seniors emphasises that the phenomenon is partly hidden: in its 2022 annual report, the association noted that abuse is a taboo subject and that fear of reprisals — particularly when the perpetrator is a family member — can contribute to silence.

• The Walloon doctor David Bouillon has also spoken out publicly on this issue. He set up a foundation dedicated to the protection of older people and, in 2026, submitted a petition to the Walloon Parliament calling, among other things, for a public hearing on the protection of older people and respect for their rights.

In Wallonia, the issue of protecting older people is real and deserves to be taken seriously.

Why Wallonia Can Lead by Example

Wallonia already has:

• research from the IWEPS;

• civil society organisations;

• support schemes;

• committed local authorities;

• a Silver Economy policy;

• a network of services;

• organisations working to prevent abuse;

• a large older population;

• a rich network of voluntary and community organisations.

It could therefore go further by developing a genuine approach to the overall value of older people.

This would not merely involve measuring expenditure linked to ageing, but also documenting, using transparent methods, the contributions made by older people to production, consumption, families, voluntary work, community organisations, local authorities and social cohesion. The question of what proportion of these contributions directly or indirectly generates public revenue could constitute a separate area of research, not to be confused with an already established measure.

Wallonia could thus develop a genuine account of older people’s contributions.

What If We Changed Our Perspective?

When we actually measure these contributions, we realise that the portrayal of old age as merely a financial burden is necessarily incomplete: costs are measured and quantifiable in certain statistics, while some contributions remain insufficiently documented.

What if, before asking how much old age costs, we asked:

How many hours of childcare do grandparents provide free of charge?

How many hours of voluntary work do pensioners give?

How many hours of care do older people provide to their partners or loved ones?

How many continue to work?

How many organisations survive thanks to their commitment?

How many families benefit from their presence?

How many children grow up listening to their stories?

How much knowledge would be lost with them?

How many family memories still exist because an older person has preserved them?

How many social ties are maintained by their presence?

This way of framing the question does not deny the costs associated with ageing.

It simply allows us to look at the bigger picture.

Conclusion

A society that views its older people solely as a financial burden sees only part of the reality.

Caring for older people and safeguarding their health, independence, relationships, voices and place in society are therefore both a matter of respecting their fundamental rights and a way of preserving part of the human, family, social, cultural and economic wealth of Walloon society.

Older people are not merely those whom society must care for. For decades, and often still today, they have also contributed to the functioning of society and to the life of families, organisations, local communities and the economy.

Let us recognise that each of us will one day be an older person and will wish to feel that we belong in the Walloon society we are building today.
 

Victoria B. Lohay
Wallonia.be Ambassador

Les étoiles plein les yeux

 

Sources and References

IWEPS — The Silver Economy in Wallonia
Research Report No. 35, The Silver Economy in Wallonia: A Prospective Analysis, July 2019. Study commissioned by the Walloon Parliament.
IWEPS — The Silver Economy in Wallonia: A Prospective Analysis

IWEPS — Literature Review on the Silver Economy
Working Paper No. 27, October 2018.
IWEPS — Literature Review

IWEPS — Full Report RR35
IWEPS Research Report No. 35 — PDF

IWEPS — Population Aged 65 and Over in Wallonia
2025 data and demographic outlook.
IWEPS — Population aged 65 and over

IWEPS — Economic Structure of the Walloon Population
2025 data: 721,397 people aged over 65 in Wallonia and a total population of 3,657,024.
IWEPS — Economic structure of the Walloon population

Statbel — Family Care
Publication dated 18 August 2026: 3.4 million Belgians aged 18 to 74 provide care for a family member; nearly 600,000 grandparents look after a grandchild under the age of 15 for at least one hour a week; 80.2 per cent are over 60.
Statbel — Four in ten Belgians look after a child, a grandchild or a family member

ONSS — Flexi-jobs
Annual data for 2025: people aged 65 and over account for 16.1 per cent of flexi-job workers but 30.3 per cent of the total volume of work; their numbers have risen by 21.3 per cent.
ONSS — Annual statistics on flexi-jobs

Digital Wallonia — The Silver Economy: An Opportunity for Wallonia
Digital Wallonia — Silver Economy

European Commission — Silver Economy
European framework for the Silver Economy and the economic potential associated with ageing.

European Commission — Silver Economy Study
European study on the economic potential of the Silver Economy.

David Bloom, Alexander Khoury and Jaypee Sevilla — Economic Contributions of Older Adults in Europe
Study on the market and non-market productive contributions of older people in Europe: work, family support and volunteering.
Cambridge University Press — Economic Contributions of Older Adults in Europe

Karsten Hank and Stephanie Stuck — Volunteer Work, Informal Help, and Care Among the 50+ in Europe
A European study based on SHARE, published in Social Science Research.
ScienceDirect — Volunteer work, informal help, and care among the 50+ in Europe
PubMed — Volunteer work, informal help, and care among the 50+ in Europe

The Economic Value of Non-professional Care: A Europe-Wide Analysis
European study on the economic value of informal care: 76 million people, over 72 billion hours and approximately €576 billion, depending on the methodology used. This figure covers all adult carers and should not be attributed solely to older people.
Study — The Economic Value of Non-professional Care
PubMed — The Economic Value of Non-professional Care

Mathieu Lefebvre, Pierre Pestieau and Jérôme Schoenmaeckers — Grandchild Care and Eldercare: A Quid Pro Quo Arrangement
Study on the relationship between looking after grandchildren and the support subsequently received by older parents.
UCLouvain — Publication
ULiège ORBi — Publication

Machteld Hoeve et al. — The Relationship Between Parenting and Delinquency: A Meta-analysis
A meta-analysis of 161 manuscripts on the links between parental supervision, family relationships and delinquency.
PubMed — Parenting and delinquency meta-analysis

Sciensano — Health Survey
Data on informal care and family carers in Belgium and Wallonia.

Respect Seniors — Wallonia
A Walloon organisation specialising in the prevention of and support for cases of elder abuse.
Respect Seniors — About us
Respect Seniors — Annual Report 2025

Walloon Parliament — David Bouillon’s Petition
Petition submitted in 2026 concerning the protection of older people and calling, in particular, for a public hearing.
Walloon Parliament — Petition

Lagardère Foundation — Dr David Bouillon: Protection of Older People
Information about the foundation and its objectives.

King Baudouin Foundation — Volunteering in Belgium in 2019
Published in 2020, with regional data compiled by the Francophone Volunteering Platform.
https://kbs-frb.be/fr/le-volontariat-en-belgique-en-2019

Wallonia — Support Services for Families and Older People (SAFA)
Wallonia — SAFA

SPW — Flat-rate Allowance for Volunteers
Information on expense allowances for volunteers.

Acerta — Volunteer Allowances 2026
2026 data on flat-rate allowance ceilings: €44.02 per day and €1,760.83 per year, with a higher annual ceiling for certain specific activities. These amounts are expense allowances and do not represent the economic value of voluntary work.

OECD — Older Workers and Belgium
Data and analyses relating to the employment of older workers.

INASTI — Analysis of Key Trends in the Self-employed Sector for 2024
https://www.inasti.be/fr/actualites/analyse-des-grandes-tendances-2024-du-secteur-independantWallonia — Wallonie Amie des Aînés (WADA)
A scheme to encourage older people to participate in community life and help improve their environment.
https://www.aviq.be/