‘Pressure rising’ on developing Asian aging risk: ADB

Developing Asia Pacific is unprepared to secure the well-being of its rapidly aging population as the growing share of older people in the region face challenges from low pension coverage to health problems, social isolation, and limited access to essential services, according to the Asia Development Bank (ADB).

The bank says that while longer lifespans reflect the region’s development success, “comprehensive” policy reforms are urgently needed to support the welfare of older people. The ADB outlined its recommendations in its latest report, Aging Well in Asia: Asian Development Policy Report, released at its 57th Annual Meeting at the start of May.

The development bank said that the number of people aged 60 and older in developing Asia Pacific is set to nearly double by 2050 to 1.2 billion – or about a quarter of the total population.

This will clearly significantly increase the need for pension and welfare programs as well as health care services.

At the same time, economies have an opportunity to reap a “silver dividend” in the form of additional productivity from older people, which could boost gross domestic product in the region by 0.9% on average, said the ADB.

“Asia Pacific’s rapid development is a success story, but it’s also fueling a huge demographic shift, and the pressure is rising,” said ADB chief economist Albert Park.

“Governments need to prepare now if they’re going to be able to help hundreds of millions of people in the region age well. Policies should support lifetime investment in health, education, skills, and financial preparedness for retirement. Family and social ties are also important to foster healthy and productive populations of older people and maximise their contribution to society,” added Park.

According to the report, 40% of people over age 60 in Asia Pacific lack access to any form of pension – with women disproportionately affected, as they are more likely to do unpaid domestic work.

“As a result, many older people in the region have no choice but to work well beyond retirement age to survive. Among those still working at age 65 or older, 94% work in the informal sector, which typically doesn’t provide basic labour protections or pension benefits,” said the report.

Physical and mental health challenges also increase with age, pointed out the ADB. Around 60% of older people in Asia Pacific do not attend or receive regular health checks, while 31% claim depressive symptoms owing to illness, social isolation, and economic insecurity, said the report.

Older women in the region are also more likely than older men to suffer from ill health, from depression to diabetes and hypertension, it added.

The report recommends a wide range of policy measures to support healthy and economically secure aging.

Among these are government-assisted health insurance and pension plans, improved health infrastructure, and free annual check-ups and lifestyle evaluations. “Policy makers should aim for universal health care coverage, while basic labour protections should be extended to older informal workers,” concluded the report.

“By making mandatory retirement ages more flexible, helping older people stay healthy, and providing them with suitable work opportunities as well as lifelong learning and skills development, economies in the region can help older people stay productive longer,” added the ADB.