The health and social impacts of an ageing population in Singapore, and why it matters

• Main Authors: STRAUGHAN, Paulin Tay, TAN, Chongsheng, Micah (CHEN Chongsheng)
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2023
• Subjects: Asian Studies; Demography, Population, and Ecology
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3870; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/5128/viewcontent/the_health.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Singapore’s population is ageing rapidly, with the National Population and Talent Division estimating that about one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 and above by 2030 (National Population and Talent Division 2022). It is anticipated that these demographic changes will have wide-reaching implications for the country that will span all sectors and dimensions of society. In this article, we focus in on two specific dimensions of the impact that an ageing population will have for society; health and social impacts. Using data from the Singapore Life Panel® (SLP) that has been running for the past seven years at the Centre for Research on Successful Ageing (ROSA), we provide evidence demonstrating some changes that are already occurring as a result of an ageing population. Yet, while we highlight two health and social implications of an ageing population, we concurrently demonstrate that such issues can and will influence other aspects of society. We thus emphasise that population ageing is a multidimensional issue, and that it is important for both policymakers and researchers to adopt multidisciplinary perspectives when addressing the problems anticipated to arise from an ageing population.