Assessment of population ageing using the statistical method of spatial autocorrelation: a case study of Nitra Region (Slovakia)

This case study presents a comprehensive analysis of the issue of population ageing in the municipalities of the Nitra Region, which in 2022 had the second highest proportion of people of post-productive age (19.5%) among regions in Slovakia and has long been the region with the oldest population in Slovakia. Changes in the age structure of the region's population are monitored in three time periods (1996–2004, 2005–2013, 2014–2022). This case study provides new and relevant findings on differentiations in population ageing at the local level within the region monitored. In this paper, we address the issue of population ageing through spatial statistics using the spatial autocorrelation method, where the observed indicators comprised both simple and more complex rates of population ageing. Changes in ageing were observed across all three monitored periods. ...