Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement has provided 168,578 elderly aged 85 and above with the social pension of Ks 5057.340 million this fiscal year.

With the aim of helping support the income security of older citizens, the government has introduced the social pension scheme for the elderly since 2017-2018 FY. Only 43439 elderly were entitled to the social pension scheme.

According to the survey result released by the Department of Population in September, 2017, the number of older populations in urban areas is higher than that in the rural areas. Magway, Bago, Mandalay, Sagaing, Ayeyawady, Yangon and Mon State, see the highest number of older populations.

The number of the populations aged 60 and above is about 4.5 million. The number of older populations is expected to reach up to 13 million in 2050. The survey was based on the 2014 nationwide census. In 2050, Myanmar’s age structure will be similar to that of Singapore’s today. The number of the people aged 60 and above will account for about 20 per cent of the total populations. In 2050, the number of older people will approximately be the same number of those aged under 15, according to the survey.

According to the survey, between 1973 and 2014, the number of total population was growing by 1.4 per cent annually while the number of older populations was increasing by 2.4 per cent.  Due to the continued increase in the number of older population, the country will face a decline in the number of total population in the major regions and states and the largest growth rate in the number of older population in 2030.