Throughout much of Southeast Asia, population aging is already underway and will accelerate in the coming decades driven mainly by reduced fertility. Myanmar is no exception. The current percentage of the population 60 and older is about 8% and is projected to grow to 20% by 2040. Yet very little information has been available about the situation of older persons in the country. As a result, HelpAge international commissioned the first national survey of older persons in 2012 to fill this gap. When the results are compared with those from recent surveys in Thailand, it is striking how the current situation in Myanmar resembles that in Thailand decades earlier. In Thailand, the situation of older persons has undergone substantial change changes in response to socio-economic development. In contrast, development has been much slower in Myanmar due to its pariah status in much of the international community and hence its relative isolation from global influences. With the ongoing recent political liberalization and opening up of the country, however, the situation of older persons will likely change considerably in the foreseeable future and perhaps follow the trends already clearly apparent in other countries within the region.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013 Time: 12:30 – 13:30 hrs. Room 109 (Srabua), 1st Floor
