May 2026

Indonesia:The newest member of group of ageing Asian nations

Indonesia is now officially an ageing nation, according to the 2025 Intercensal Survey (SUPAS) published by Statistics Indonesia (BPS). The survey published on 12 May 2026 reveals that the percentage of the elderly population has climbed to 11.97%, breaching for the first time the 10% threshold used to differentiate between a young population and an ageing one. The exercise conducted every five years found that the elderly population share has continued to climb in each of the surveys. The ageing population...

Longevity risk at the individual level

Wellthspan Advisory’s Nadine Esposito explains why living longer does not automatically mean living securely. We celebrate longer lives. In the EU, life expectancy has climbed above 81 years, and reaching 90 is no longer exceptional. Yet beneath this achievement lies an uncomfortable reality: longevity extends time, and time increases exposure. Exposure to health shocks. Exposure to career disruption. Exposure to caregiving demands. Exposure to systems under strain. The dominant narrative frames longevity as a financial challenge: save more, invest better, delay retirement....

Older people risk mental decline if they do long hours of caring, UK study shows

The stresses and strains of caring for someone for 50 hours or more a week leads to “accelerated cognitive decline” in middle-aged and older people, research shows. However, providing care for only five to nine hours a week has the opposite effect, boosting brain health so much that the benefits last until older age. Carers UK called the findings “extremely worrying” and said they highlight how long hours spent providing care raises the risk of social isolation and burnout. Dr Baowen Xue,...

S. Korean civic groups call for family-centered approach to low birth rate

More than 170 South Korean civic organizations called for a fundamental overhaul of the country's low birth rate policies, arguing that restoring family-centered values - rather than expanding cash subsidies - is key to reversing demographic decline. The appeal came during a civic forum and joint declaration event held Wednesday at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul ahead of next year's local elections. The event, titled "Citizen Forum and Joint Declaration on Family-Centered Low Birth Rate and Population Policies," brought...

Hong Kong may broaden at-risk elderly support after recent deaths, minister says

Hong Kong authorities may widen support to cover more younger elderly residents to bolster protection, the welfare minister has said, calling current efforts to identify at-risk seniors “just the beginning” as the city reels from two tragedies in a week. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han told the South China Morning Post that the government was mobilising all available resources to strengthen support for the elderly, but he noted the process would take time given the city’s large...

Pension Systems, Demographic Aging, and the Home Bias Puzzle: Global Evidence

By Brian Peters This paper tests whether pension system growth mediates the relationship between demographic aging and cross-border portfolio diversification. Using a panel of up to 188 countries from 1990 to 2024, we find that demographic aging robustly predicts pension system growth (Z₁ = +69.2***, p = 0.0002, N = 1,225, 42 countries), establishing the first stage of the mediation chain. However, pension fund growth does not uniformly translate into changes in external portfolio allocation: the second stage (pension spending...

Kazakhstan’s Population Is Aging Rapidly as Demographic Pressures Mount

Kazakhstan’s population is aging rapidly, with the number of elderly citizens growing significantly faster than the child population as birth rates continue to decline. According to a study by analysts at Energyprom.kz, the country’s aging index has been steadily rising. In 2021, Kazakhstan had 26.7 elderly people for every 100 children under the age of 15. By 2025, that figure had increased to 32.9. The data suggests Kazakhstan is gradually entering a demographic phase in which the proportion of elderly citizens is growing much faster...

US. For some older people, retirement today means unretiring

On weekday mornings, Myndie Friedman is out the door just as the sun rises over the Atlantic Ocean, a block from her home in Long Beach, New York. Friedman's first stop is a 7:30 a.m. bus, which she takes to a local train station for a roughly hourlong trip into Manhattan's Midtown neighborhood. Then she hops on the subway before exiting and hoofing it 10 minutes to her office job. Total commute: two hours door to desk, along with another...

How to make public spaces accessible, safe and attractive for an aging population

To be truly inclusive, public outdoor spaces must meet the needs of the entire population, regardless of age, physical ability or mobility. Although many cities have adopted universal accessibility policies in recent years, it’s important to consider whether these policies have actually improved accessibility and the experiences of citizens who live there. Public spaces can become a source of fatigue and stress for older people if their features are not properly designed. Several fields of research in urban design, urban planning, and...

April 2026

The Welfare Effects of Protecting Older Workers

By Todd Morris, Stefan Staubli & Benoit Dostie We evaluate the welfare effects of five provincial mandatory retirement bans in Canada from 2005 to 2009 using linked employer-employee tax data. The bans sharply reduce retirements at age 65, with sizable announcement effects and heterogeneity across industries. Post-65 employment and earnings rise at least 14%, with gains comparable to a two-year increase in pension-eligibility ages. Older workers save more and spouses postpone retirement, benefiting public finances, with no observable effects on...