Malaysia plans to come out soon with a National Ageing White Paper to tackle the country's ageing population. Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir has said Malaysia officially become an ageing nation in 2021 and now those aged 65 and above exceed 7% of the country's population.
According to The Malaysian Reserve, Mr Akmal was responding to a member’s question in the parliament. He said the National Ageing White Paper is expected to be tabled in Parliament later this year and will be followed by the launch of the National Ageing Blueprint.
The Minister said that the blueprint will be built around five strategic pillars covering macroeconomic and fiscal sustainability, employment and skills, social protection, lifelong healthcare and long-term care.
On elderly welfare, Mr Akmal said the government would continue to strengthen the National Policy for Older Persons and its action plan by promoting active, healthy and dignified ageing.
According to data from Department of Statistics of Malaysia, the share of senior citizens is expected to rise from 8% in 2025 to 10.4% by 2035, while the total fertility rate is forecast to decline from 1.67 to 1.60 over the same period. Malaysia is expected to attain the status of an aged country by 2048 when 14% or more of its population is likely to be around 14% of the total.
The Economy minister said the government will also expand community-based long-term care services, develop the care economy, train professional caregivers, and widen social protection coverage for vulnerable groups while encouraging economically active senior citizens to remain in the workforce.
He said on healthcare front, the 13th Malaysian Plan and the proposed Ageing White Paper will prioritise disease prevention, early detection, primary and secondary care, and better integration of health and social services to help older Malaysians maintain their independence.