Population aging

Population aging has major economic and social implications and raises concerns about who will provide long-term care (LTC) for those older people in need of care. In the region, as in the rest of the world, older people who need assistance are often cared for by family members, usually wives, daughters, and daughters-in-law. Cultural beliefs emphasize filial obligation toward parents in their old age, as well as the need to look after family members who lack adult children to care for them.

As a result of increasing life expectancy and decreasing fertility rates, the number of older people is growing in absolute terms and as a proportion of the population in Asia and the Pacific region. The region’s population aged 60 years and above is expected to reach 1.26 billion in 2050 and increase from 11% in 2012 to 24% of the total population.