Ageing populations in Asia: Issues and myths

An elderly smoker in Guangzhou, China. (Photo: Flickr user 'ce28nn')

Author: Bill Durodié, Nanyang Technological University

Much of the discussion in the West about ageing populations also occurs in Asia. Yves Guerard, the Secretary-General of the International Actuarial Association, has compared these discussions to ‘climate change’; he sees the issue of an ageing population as a ‘big, immediate urgent problem’ that is largely ignored ‘because it’s inconvenient’.

But a recent report challenges this framing. Read more…