population ageing and the need for social protection in ... · iran, islamic republic of vanuatu...
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Population Ageing and the Need for Social Protection in Asia and the Pacific
Vanessa Steinmayer, PhDPopulation Affairs Officer, Social Development Division
The region is ageing rapidly, but pensions coverage is still low
0 20 40 60 80 100Japan
KazakhstanAustralia
FijiChina
Korea, Republic ofHong Kong , China
MongoliaRussian Federation
SingaporeSolomon Islands
KyrgyzstanThailandMalaysia
TurkeyArmenia
SamoaGeorgia
AzerbaijanPhilippines
Viet NamTajikistanMaldives
Sri LankaIran, Islamic Republic of
VanuatuBhutan
IndiaIndonesia
TongaPakistan
Papua New GuineaNepal
AfghanistanLao PDR
BangladeshCambodia
Timor-Leste
Percentage of the working-age population
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Perc
enta
ge o
f the
wor
king
-age
pop
ulat
ion
Male Female
Pensions coverage as a percentage of the working-age population
Source: ILO, Social Protection Report 2017-2019
People still live between 19 and 30 years after retirement
60 60
55
6265 55 63 60
57
5555
55
62 6555
63 6057
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Viet Nam China IslamicRepublicof Iran
Singapore Japan Fiji Thailand Sri Lanka Indonesia
Year
s
Male Female
Retirement ageLife expectancy at the respective retirement age
Source: ESCAP calculations with data from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs: World Population Prospects, the 2017 Revision
Pension benefits often inadequateAdequacy of benefits of contributory pensions
Perc
enta
ge
Source: World Bank, ASPIRE: The Atlas of Social Protection Indicators of Resilience and Equity, online database, accessed 20 February 2019
Social protection coverage for the informal sector is limited
Pension systems tend to perpetuate existing inequalities• Work-based: only those who participated in the formal
labour force are included• No redistribution: Most pension systems in the region
are “defined contribution” – you get what you pay• Not gender responsive: Only few countries have
“child credits” for women – women are structurally disadvantaged in contributory pension systems
• Social pensions important but do not address inequalities: Benefit levels of social pensions are often very low
Work of people aged 60 or over• Many older persons still work• More men than women• Employment decreases with age
01020304050607080
Male Female
Proportion of older persons (60+) who are employed, by sex, latest available
year
Source: HelpAge from LFS 2013 (Bangladesh), LFS 2008 (Nepal), LFS 2012 (Philippines, LFS 2013 (Thailand, LFS 2014 (Viet Nam)
Employment of older persons by age group
Health reasons is the main cause of stopping work
Source: HelpAge
Thailand: support from children and work income most important income sources of older persons
Support from
children, 36.7
Work income,
33.9
Social pension,
14.8
Contributory pension, 4.9
Transfers from
spouse, 4.3
Savings and
assets, 3.9
Other, 1.5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
60-64 65-69 70-79 80+
Per c
ent
Age group
Income sources of older persons in Thailand
Source: Jinanggoon Rojananan, Presentation made at the Annual Help Age Conference 2019; Department of Older Persons, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security
Percentage of older persons with savings by age group, 2011
Social protection for older men and women is crucial to achieve the SDGsSDG 1: No povertyTarget 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitionsTarget 1.3: Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerableSDG 5: Gender equalitySDG 10: Reduce inequalityTarget 10.4. Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality
Conclusion• Social protection for older persons will be
crucial to achieve the SDGs• The way “ageing” is measured and defined
can decide over income or no income• Mandatory retirement age is too low in
some countries: retirement time = working time
• Social pensions eligibility by age – easy to identify but does it reflect the “need”?
• Existing social protection tools for older women fail to address disadvantages accumulated throughout the life-cycle
