Developing Asia and the Pacific is unprepared to secure the well-being of its rapidly ageing population as the growing share of older people in the region face challenges from low pension coverage to health problems, social isolation, and limited access to essential services, according to an ADB report.

While longer lifespans reflect the region’s development success, comprehensive policy reforms are urgently needed to support the welfare of older people, says the report titled “Ageing Well in Asia: Asian Development Policy Report”, released Thursday by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at its 57th Annual Meeting being held in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The number of people aged 60 and older in developing Asia and the Pacific is set to nearly double by 2050 to 1.2 billion – or about a quarter of the total population – significantly increasing the need for pension and welfare programmes as well as health care services. At the same time, economies have an opportunity to reap a “silver dividend” in the form of additional productivity from older people, which could boost gross domestic product in the region by 0.9% on average.

“Asia and the Pacific’s rapid development is a success story, but it’s also fueling a huge demographic shift, and the pressure is rising,” said ADB Chief Economist Albert Park.
“Governments need to prepare now if they’re going to be able to help hundreds of millions of people in the region age well. Policies should support lifetime investment in health, education, skills, and financial preparedness for retirement. Family and social ties are also important to foster healthy and productive populations of older people and maximise their contribution to society.”
According to the report, 40% of people over age 60 in Asia and the Pacific lack access to any form of pension—with women disproportionately affected, as they are more likely to do unpaid domestic work.
As a result, many older people in the region have no choice but to work well beyond retirement age to survive. Among those still working at age 65 or older, 94% work in the informal sector, which typically doesn’t provide basic labour protections or pension benefits.

Physical and mental health challenges also increase with age. Around 60% of older people in Asia and the Pacific do not attend or receive regular health checks, while 31% report depressive symptoms owing to illness, social isolation, and economic insecurity. Older women in the region are also more likely than older men to suffer from ill health, from depression to diabetes and hypertension.
The report recommends a wide range of policy measures to support healthy and economically secure ageing. Among these are government-assisted health insurance and pension plans, improved health infrastructure, and free annual check-ups and lifestyle evaluations.
Policymakers should aim for universal health care coverage, while basic labour protections should be extended to older informal workers, according to the report.
By making mandatory retirement ages more flexible, helping older people stay healthy, and providing them with suitable work opportunities as well as lifelong learning and skills development, economies in the region can help older people stay productive longer.
 $5b ADF replenishment agreed to support most vulnerable in the region
Meanwhile, donors and the ADB at the ADB’s annual meeting have agreed to a replenishment of $5 billion for ADB’s Asian Development Fund (ADF) 14 and Technical Assistance Special Fund (TASF) 8.
The ADF is ADB’s largest source of grants for operations in its poorest and most vulnerable developing member countries and is replenished every 4 years.
ADF 14 – marking the 13th replenishment since the fund’s establishment – will support grant operations during 2025 – 2028. The ADF 14 replenishment is about 22% higher than the $4.1 billion available in ADF 13, and will provide eligible ADB members with the largest-ever volume of ADF grants.
The primary recipients of grants from ADF 14 are Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Kyrgyz Republic, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Grants will also be available to support the people of Afghanistan and Myanmar, and for transformative projects in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Niue, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Uzbekistan.
TASF 8 will provide grants that help prepare projects, build capacity, and provide technical or policy advice.
ADF 14 prioritises dedicated assistance to small island developing states that are particularly vulnerable – especially to climate change – and to countries in fragile and conflict-affected situations.