COLOMBO, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government needs to focus on special policies to address the needs of the elderly, particularly older women, as the country becomes the fastest aging society in South Asia, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said in a report on Monday.
In 2012, there were 2.5 million people or 12.4 percent of Sri Lanka's living population above the age of 60, according to the latest statistics.
Population ageing in Sri Lanka is accelerating at a faster rate than other South Asian countries and has been increasing rapidly since 1980s. Between 1981 and 2012, the proportion of population aged 60 years and above has increased from 6.6 percent to 12.4 percent, the report said.
The median age of the Sri Lankan population has also increased from 21.4 years to 31.0 years from 1981 to 2012, which is much higher than other countries in the region.
Rapid demographic transition with marked decline in death rates and birth rates, increases in life expectancy are leading to important changes in age-sex structure.
"Comprehensive policies and programmes need to address the inequalities experienced by the majority of older population in Sri Lanka," the report said. "Hence it must be recognized that the older population are contributors to sustainable development."
Older women in particular need protection to ensure their wellbeing in old age.
"It is also important to support current working-age women's employment participation, so that women can have a stable income during their working age, thus can plan and be prepared for retirement, reducing their vulnerability in their old age," the report added.
Currently only 34 percent of Sri Lankan women are employed in the formal sector. The Sri Lankan government in its latest economic policy document has expressed the need to improve this segment.
