Best countries for older people: Sri Lanka ranks 36
Posted on Wednesday, October 2, 2013 and filed under breakingnews , news . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 . You can leave a response or trackback to this entry from your site
Sri Lanka ranks 36, well above Pakistan at 89 , despite similar levels of gross domestic product (GDP) in the global index for the Best Countries for older people. Sweden tops list in the Global Agewatch Index, followed by Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada.
On 1 October 2013, the United Nations’ International Day of Older Persons, HelpAge International is launching the Global AgeWatch Index 2013 – the first-ever to measure the quality of life and wellbeing of older people around the world. Developed with the support of the United Nations Fund for Population and Development (UNFPA), the Index, which covers 89% of the world’s older people in 91 countries, highlights those countries which are not yet serving the needs of older people. With nearly 900 million people over 60, urgent action is needed to fight poverty in old age and tackle age discrimination and the abuse of older people’s rights.
"This survey shows that history counts," said Mark Gorman, director of the HelpAge International advocacy group. "The top-ranked countries are what you would expect, but Scandinavian countries were not wealthy when they [introduced] universal pensions."The older population in Sri Lanka today is benefiting from good basic education and healthcare – those countries made certain policy choices. Everybody faces scarce resources, but they should not forget that when they make investment decisions, they should also address issues of old age."
The US, the world's richest country, languishes in eighth place, while the UK fails to make the top 10, residing instead at No 13. Bolivia and Mauritius score higher than the size of their economies may suggest, while the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China are a mixed bag. Brazil and China rank relatively high on the index; India and Russia sit much lower.
Population ageing – when older people account for an increasingly large proportion of people – is happening fastest in developing countries. More than two-thirds of older people live in poor countries; by 2050, this proportion is expected to be about four-fifths.
The index shows that the fastest ageing countries – Jordan, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua and Vietnam, where the number of older people is predicted to more than triple by 2050 – fall into the lower half of the ranking, suggesting that policymakers need to tackle ageing head-on if they are to adequately support their populations.
Many Eastern European countries – including Russia and Ukraine – will see their older populations exceed 30% by 2050, but are in the lower half of the Index.
There are gender differences among ageing populations, with women generally outliving men. In 2012, for every 84 men aged 60 and over, there were 100 women. Lack of paid work (hence savings), less decision-making power in the family and vulnerability to violence contribute towards the disadvantage many women face in old age.
However, if appropriate measures are implemented, population ageing does not inevitably lead to significantly higher healthcare spending, according to the report, which highlights the importance of long-term investments in education and healthcare for older people.
The ageing index is calculated using 13 indicators under four headings: income security, healthcare, employment and education, and an enabling environment. All indicators have equal weight, except for pension income coverage, life expectancy at 60, healthy life expectancy at 60, and psychological well-being. These categories were given increased weighting because of better data quality, and countries were included only if there was sufficient data.
Professor Sir Richard Jolly, creator of the human development index, said: "This ground-breaking index broadens the way we understand the needs and opportunities of older people through its pioneering application of human development methodology. It challenges countries in every part of the world to raise their sights as to what is possible."
Source:www.news.lk
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