The rapid ageing of societies across Asia and the Pacific doesn’t just raise the question of who will pay for higher pension costs. It also poses the challenge of how to meet increasing physical and mental healthcare needs.
The number of people over 60 in the region is expected to double over the next few decades. Today, on average, 57 per cent of this group have at least one noncommunicable disease — the most common are hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease — yet only four in 10 receive regular check-ups. Nearly a third experience elevated depressive symptoms, with many saying they feel isolated or lonely.
By 2050, the number of people in this age group will surge to 1.2bn, or about a quarter of the population in developing Asia and the Pacific. This demographic shift is unprecedented in its speed, fuelled by steep declines in fertility rates and occurring at an earlier stage of development than in advanced economies. While greater longevity reflects the region’s successful socio-economic development, it also presents increasingly urgent challenges.