Chapter 5 - Growing old in low- and middle-income countries in Asia

Abstract

Population aging is arguably one of the most significant demographic transformations of the 21st century, which will have far-reaching social, economic, and public health implications. Asia is home to 60% of the world’s total population. Even though this is a diverse region with multiple ethnicities and religions, many countries in Asia share common economic and cultural aspects. Most countries in this region are low and middle income, according to the World Bank’s classification based on gross national income (GNI) per capita. As of the 2018 thresholds, low-income economies are those with GNI less than US$995, lower-middle-income economies have GNI between US$996 and US$3895, and upper-middle-income economies have GNI between US$3896 and US$12055.