-26number of long-lived elderly dependents. The Task Force Report projects the following dependency ratios from 2002 to 2031: 69. Year Child Elderly Overall 2002 223 158 381 2006 203 162 365 2011 180 164 344 2016 178 198 376 2021 179 245 424 2026 180 313 493 2031 182 380 562 These figures indicate the projected numbers of children (those under 15) and the estimated numbers of elderly persons (those over 65) who will be dependent on every 1,000 persons between the ages of 15 and 65. Thus, in 2002, for every 1,000 persons aged between 15 and 65, there were estimated to be 223 child dependents and 158 elderly dependents with a total overall dependency ratio of 381. It was projected that over the years, the child dependency ratio would decline while the elderly dependency ratio would markedly increase from the year 2016 onwards. 70. This obviously has serious implications for the cost of caring for the elderly. The Task Force puts this as follows: “One serious economic problem caused by an accelerated increase in the number of elderly people in the population is social security payments. The Government is committed to providing financial assistance to elderly people in need. More than 600,000 persons aged 60 or above receive financial assistance through either the CSSA or the Old Age Allowance (OAA). ... Total Government expenditure in financial assistance for elders is estimated to be $11.8 billion in 2002-03, accounting for 5.4% of recurrent public expenditure and representing an increase of 50% when compared to the $7.8 billion paid out in 1997-98. The CSSA and OAA Schemes are funded entirely from General Revenue and are non-contributory. Should the rate of payment and eligibility for the OAA remain unchanged, it is estimated that by 2031, the total payment for OAA alone will rise to $10.4 billion. That for CSSA on elderly