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Social, Economic, and Health Challenges in Responding to Aging Population in South Asia: An Experience from Bhutan

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Abstract

Southeast Asia Region is expected to experience a significant increase in its ageing population, with the proportion of people age ≥ 65 years projected to reach 13.7% by 2030 and 20.3% by 2050. In Bhutan, which has a population of 681,720, the proportion of adults aged > 60 years has increased from 7.0% in 2005 to 8.8% in 2017 and is projected to increase to 19.7% in 2047. Bhutan has always prioritized the well-being of all its citizens through the principles of Gross National Happiness, however older adults increasingly face challenges such as poorer health, higher poverty rates, and limited social security. This demographic shift, combined with an increasing old age dependence ratio and emigration of young adults abroad underscores the urgent need to reorient strategic socio-economic and health policies. To promote healthy ageing and create enabling conditions for the pursuit of happiness, we recommend the development and implementation of a comprehensive strategic plan for the care of older adults. The healthcare system should put in place relevant infrastructure and human resources to address the physical and emotional needs, while religious organizations may be actively engaged in providing spiritual needs to the older adults. In this article, we summarize key population parameters on the nature of demographic shift and healthcare policies relating to the care of older adults in Bhutan.

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Funding

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Central Regional Referral Hospital, Jampelling Street, 31101, Gelephu, Bhutan

    Thinley Dorji

  2. Faculty of Nursing and Public Health, Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan, Thimphu, Bhutan

    Nidup Dorji & Kinley Penjor

  3. Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan, Thimphu, Bhutan

    Sithar Dorjee

  4. World Health Organization Country Office, Thimphu, Bhutan

    Pema Lethro

  5. Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Krit Pongpirul

  6. Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Krit Pongpirul

  7. Department of Infection Biology & Microbiomes, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

    Krit Pongpirul

  8. Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

    Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno III

Authors
  1. Thinley Dorji
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  2. Nidup Dorji
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  3. Sithar Dorjee
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  4. Kinley Penjor
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  5. Pema Lethro
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  6. Krit Pongpirul
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  7. Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno III
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Contributions

Conceptualization: TD, ND, SD, K Penjor, PL, K Pongpirul, DELP

Data curation: TD

Resources: TD

Writing – original draft: TD, ND, K Pongpirul

Writing – review and editing: TD, ND, SD, K Penjor, PL, K Pongpirul, DELP

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thinley Dorji.

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Dorji, T., Dorji, N., Dorjee, S. et al. Social, Economic, and Health Challenges in Responding to Aging Population in South Asia: An Experience from Bhutan. Population Ageing 17, 823–833 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-024-09464-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-024-09464-7

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