Population Ageing and the Well-Being of Older Persons in Thailand

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Population
ageing is occurring in much of Asia. In Thailand where fertility rates have
fallen sharply over the past decades, this process is recent and pronounced.
Thailand is particularly fortunate in having a series of nationally representative
surveys of
the older population that permit determining important trends in the well-being
of the older age population and an up-to-date assessment of their current situation.
In this report, we examine the demography of ageing in Thailand, explore the
health
and social and economic well-being of the older population, and describe government
policies and programmes related to population ageing. Particular attention is
given to differences in relation to age, gender and place of residence (urban
or rural).

Demography
of ageing

As a result
of an exceptionally rapid decline in fertility in which the total fertility
rate fell from above 6 in the 1960s to its current level below replacement,
Thailand is undergoing an extensive process of population ageing. Changes in
the age structure will be profound and the growth of the older age population
truly dramatic. From a situation prior to the fertility transition when older
persons constituted only 5 per cent of the population, more than one in four
Thais are likely to be age 60 or older within just a few decades from now. Moreover,
in just a little more than another decade, persons age 60 and older will exceed
those under age 15 for the first time in Thailand’s history.

This pace
of population ageing is many times faster than experienced historically in the
West. Moreover, the older population itself is ageing and there is a pronounced
sex imbalance with women greatly outnumbering men especially among the oldest
old. Within Thailand, the flow of young adults from rural to urban areas combined
with many migrant to cities leaving their young children in the care of the
rural grandparents has resulted in higher concentrations of both children and
elderly in the rural compared to urban areas. The population in the most economically
productive ages relative to that in elderly ages where economic dependency is
common is virtually certain to decline to only a fraction of what it has been
in the recent past. Thus the provision of material support for older persons
will take on quite a different dimension than has been or currently is the case.
Likewise, given the far greater likelihood of serious health problems among
older persons compared to the rest of the population, pressures on health facilities
and services will increase enormously.

In brief,
these demographic developments will have important consequences for families,
communities,
and Thai society as a whole.

Demographic,
social and economic characteristics

The social
and economic profile of today’s elderly and trends over the recent past
as presented in this report are encouraging in several respects. Significant
improvement in the material well-being of the older population has clearly occurred.
Compared to just a little over a decade ago, older Thais in 2007 live in households
with far more appliances and amenities that make daily life more convenient.
Their households are also more likely to have a motorized vehicle making meeting
transportation needs easier. Particularly dramatic is the rapid and recent spread
of telephones, especially mobile phones, a development that greatly improves
the ability of elderly and their hildren and relatives who live elsewhere to
maintain contact with each other. This not only contributes to social well-being
but facilitates seeking assistance at times of health emergencies or when other
critical situations arise.

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info : Population
Ageing and the Well-Being of Older Persons in Thailand



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