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“Promoting Active Ageing in Southeast Asia” is a c “Promoting Active Ageing in Southeast Asia” is a comprehensive OECD/ERIA report that examines how ASEAN countries can support healthy, productive, and secure ageing as their populations grow older at unprecedented speed. The report highlights that Southeast Asia is ageing twice as fast as OECD nations, while still facing high levels of informal employment, limited social protection, and gender inequality—making ageing a major economic and social challenge.
Core Purpose
The report identifies what policies ASEAN member states must adopt to ensure:
Older people can remain healthy,
Continue to participate socially and economically, and
Avoid income insecurity in old age.
🧩 What the Report Covers
1. Demographic & Economic Realities
Fertility has dropped across all countries; life expectancy continues to rise.
The old-age to working-age ratio will surge in the next 30 years.
Working-age populations will decrease sharply in Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, while still growing in Cambodia, Laos, and the Philippines.
Public expenditure is low, leaving governments with limited capacity to fund pensions or healthcare.
2. Key Barriers to Active Ageing
High informality (up to 90% in some countries): keeps workers outside formal pensions, healthcare, and protections.
Gender inequalities in work, caregiving, and legal rights compound poverty risks for older women.
Low healthcare spending, shortages of medical staff, and rural access gaps.
Limited pension adequacy, low coverage, and low retirement ages.
🧭 Major Policy Recommendations
A. Reduce Labour Market Informality
Lower the cost of formalisation for low-income workers.
Strengthen labour law enforcement and improve business registration processes.
Relax overly strict product/labour market regulations.
B. Reduce Gender Inequality in Old Age
Integrate gender perspectives into all policy design.
Reform discriminatory family and inheritance laws.
Promote financial education and career equality for women.
C. Ensure Inclusive Healthcare Access
Increase public health funding.
Improve efficiency through generics, preventive care, and technology.
Expand health insurance coverage to all.
Use telemedicine and incentives to serve rural areas.
D. Strengthen Old-Age Social Protection
Increase first-tier (basic) pensions.
Raise retirement ages where needed and link them to life expectancy.
Reform PAYG pensions to ensure sustainability.
Make pension systems easier to understand and join.
E. Support Social Participation of Older Adults
Build age-friendly infrastructure (benches, safe crossings, accessible paths).
Create community programs that encourage interaction and prevent isolation.
🧠 Why This Matters
By 2050, ASEAN countries will face dramatic demographic shifts. Without rapid and coordinated policy reforms, millions of older people risk:
Poor health
Lack of income
Social isolation
Inadequate care
This report serves as a strategic blueprint for building healthy, productive, and resilient ageing societies in Southeast Asia.... |