AGEING: Learning from the Global South

By January 14, 2021 January 14, 2021 PPD Featured Publications POM, Publications

This book is the second volume of PPD Population Policy Series (first one is Population Trends and Policy Options in Selected Developing Countries, 2012).

The Global Commission on Ageing in Developing Countries (GCADC) was initiated to assist the developing countries, particularly the member countries of Partners in Population and Development (PPD) to navigate the AGEING related policymaking. Promoting health ageing is one of the 6-point priorities of PPD. The assessment reports from seven PPD member countries are presented in this compendium aiming to document the ageing situation, health and well-being and policies for enabling and supportive environments in their own countries.

Many developing countries use the phrase ‘getting old before getting rich’ to summarise the challenges of a rapidly aging population. The demographic phenomenon of increase in AGEING population is a product of several factors such as access to better health care, the subsequent increase in life expectancy and reducing fertility levels.

The discourse around ‘AGEING’ presents it as, ‘although an inevitable process yet an undesirable phenomenon’. In such a context the opportunities and possibilities provided by the ‘AGEING’ is greatly ignored or disregarded. Though the trajectory and experience of ‘ageing’ in a developed economy and developing economy varies vastly, the policy formulation towards ‘ageing’ is greatly influenced by the data and evidence from the developed economies