Sri Lanka is out of the woods regarding the worst economic crisis the island has faced, and with continued lack of a common national policy framework which has bipartisan support to ensure policy consistency on how we will navigate out of it, the future seems rather uncertain as of today (21 August).
Nevertheless, crises do not wait around for us to get our act together and become a robust nation to present itself, and that is what may lie ahead of the bend for Sri Lanka’s demography and economic capacity. Sri Lanka’s ageing population has been a creeping crisis, and one which many lawmakers and policy pundits have chosen to ignore. In typical problem solving attitudes that exist in the bloated bureaucracy in Sri Lanka, if you pretend not to see the issue grow, and don’t acknowledge its presence, it doesn’t exist. This is how the island's ageing population issue is being addressed at present.
Recently, subject matter experts addressing the issue at a UNFPA Policy Dialogue, pointed out that nearly 25% of Sri Lanka’s population will be over 60-years-old by 2041. The discussion has brought out concerns that the birth rate in Sri Lanka has dropped by nearly 20 percent post Covid-19 pandemic, it is reported. Sri Lanka is reported to have the fastest-growing ageing population in South Asia. As of 2022, approximately 16% of its population (22 million) were aged over 60, according to the World Bank. By 2041, that will rise to one in four, the World Bank predicts. With such numbers, Sri Lanka will need to plan for a significant capacity increase for elders care and services tailored to them.
This situation will also have a significant impact on Sri Lanka’s over stretched public health system, with many over the age of 60 expected to have at least one or more, non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and related kidney complications as well. As such, it is prudent for all of us to start planning for our retirement, and the Government must get on board the wagon too. The sooner the better. A survey on Household Income and Expenditure in 2019 identified those over 65-years as the poorest group in Sri Lanka, meaning that they have fewer resources to cope. Currently, only 40-50% of those in the category receive any form of benefit such as pensions or cash payments. However, the present Government and opposition parties have all echoed sentiments that more must be done for the elderly. But the question remains; how, when and what, must be done. And one of the challenges in figuring that out, is that almost all political movements are today focused either on their political survival, or on youth empowerment or cutting back the welfare state. It seems there is a lack of political will to prioritise any serious dialog about what to do to weather the ageing population crisis. Which is ironic considering that Sri Lanka has a disproportionate share of elderly lawmakers in the Legislature.
The growth of the elderly population is a social problem that cannot be ignored. Already, destitution and homelessness of the elderly is fast becoming a common sight in Sri Lanka. Recently a medical specialist called out a concerning trend, where allegedly some families ‘park’ their bed-ridden elderly parents, in hospital citing various health concerns, to relieve themselves of the responsibility for a short period to enable them to holiday.
Sri Lanka also has no universal pension system. Many elders were employed in the informal sector, and they are found to be especially vulnerable to exploitation. Therefore, Sri Lanka has to move quickly, the ageing population issue, is one that we cannot afford to ‘let age’ or to ‘cross that bridge, when we get there’. Dealing with an ageing population will require significant changes, including changes to Legislature, national policy, health and welfare services, education and also a change in mind-set.