MALAYSIA TO REACH OLD AGE COUNTRY STATUS BY 2030

Feb 22, 2016

Source from New Straits Times

JOHOR BAHRU: The women, family and Community Development Ministry has set up a 

special task force to look into the needs of senior citizens by 2030.

Its deputy minister, Datin Paduka Chew Mui Fun, said a study by the ministry showed 

that the life expectancy rate in the country had increased from 71.4 years in 2005 to 72.5 years  

in 2015 for males and 76.2 years (2005) to 77.4 years (2015) for females.

This means that Malaysia will achieve Old Age Country status, where 15 per cent of the population 

would be 60 and above, by 2030.

She said the setting up of the taskforce, which had its first meeting last Friday, was crucial in

preparing the needs and requirements of the elderly, especially when life expectancy rates were high.

“We will be in talks with the Performance Management Delivery Unit (Pemandu) as well 

as other agencies, such as Health Ministry and Employees Provident Fund to formulate 

a support system for a comprehensive social security and financial preparation for those 60 and above.”

She said the ministry and Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Malaysian Aging Research Institute had 

conducted research on the needs of senior citizens by 2030.

The study started in September last year and would end in September this year.

“By the end of the study, we will table to the government a special directory of services 

for senior citizens and also have a benchmark for the development of old folks services and needs,” 

she said after launching the Chinese New Year celebration at the Johor Baru Rumah Seri Kenangan

 home here yesterday.

She said it was worrying that the fertility rate had dropped from 2.4 children per family in 2010 to two children per family in 2014.

“Most families are not producing more children and this is worrying.”

She said most families had restricted the number of children to only two, 

which in population growth terms, only replaced the father and mother 

and was not increasing the population.

“The task force will carry out studies on this to ensure the population will grow steadily.”

Chew said the current economic challenge was among the factors that led to low fertility rate.

“However, there are incentives and benefits for those who plan to have bigger families and

 they should come to the ministry for consultation and advise.”

Table 1: Live births by ethnic groups, Malaysia, 2013 and 2014 ^p

FERTILITY

Total fertility rate by ethnic groups

The analysis showed that the total fertility rate was below the replacement level; unchanged at 2.0 per woman aged 15–49 from 2013 to 2014. The fertility rates declined for Indians and Others, while Chinese and Bumiputera were unchanged at 1.4 and 2.6 in the same period. 

In 2014, the fertility rate for Bumiputera was 2.6 per woman aged 15–49 years, which was above the replacement level. This implies that an average of 2.6 babies would be born to every Bumiputera woman in her reproductive age (15–49 years). By contrast, the rates for both Chinese and Indians were below the replacement level at 1.4 respectively, and Others at 0.9 per woman aged 15–49 years (Chart 1).

Chart 1: Total fertility rate by ethnic groups, Malaysia, 2013 and 2014 ^p

 

Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia official portal