A new census report projects that the number of people over the age of 60 in Myanmar will nearly triple by 2050. By that time, the number of people over 60 will have grown from 4.5 million in 2014 to 13 million, or 20 percent of Myanmar’s population.
This projection, published in the 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census Thematic Report on the Older Population by Myanmar’s Ministry of Labor, Immigration, and Population and UNFPA, highlights the preparations Myanmar must make to meet the needs of its aging population.
“Both the government and civil society must prepare to meet the challenges and opportunities of a gradually ageing population. Policies and programs need to take into account the increase of older people and their needs,” said Janet Jackson, UNFPA Representative for Myanmar, in a statement about the new report.
Among these needs are high illiteracy among older people (20.9 percent), isolation and deprivation after the loss of a partner, and the effects of manual labor. According to the report, 22 percent of people over 65 in Myanmar still work, mostly in agriculture.
“The data suggest that economic realities oblige many people to continue heavy manual labor into old age to survive. This underlines the need for adequate social services, protection mechanisms and policies that serve older people,” said Jackson.
Myanmar women are especially vulnerable to isolation, as they tend to marry younger and their life expectancy is higher (69.3) than that of Myanmar men (60.2).
This vulnerability is offset by the Myanmar practice of older people living with their adult children, but this still leaves many people to face old age alone.
“Myanmar needs to develop safety nets for old people, such as a universal pension scheme,” Jackson said.
Myanmar’s population is aging more slowly than those of Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. In 2050, Myanmar’s age structure will be similar to that of Singapore’s today, according to the report. Myanmar has enough time to adjust its policy to ensure the wellbeing of millions of people who will need support over the coming decades.
According to the report’s conclusion, Myanmar’s existing policies and programs that lead to economic development, poverty reduction, and increased agricultural productivity will benefit the whole of society. What older people need is assurance that the benefits of these programs to be shared with the most vulnerable.
