Asia Archives - Pension Policy International

09JulJuly 9, 2026

UK. Can CDC solve the retirement income challenge?

Retirement in the UK is starting to feel out of reach for many workers. Not because people do not understand the importance of pensions, nor because they are unwilling to save, but because once the bills are paid, there is little left. The Pensions Commission’s figures tell the story. Around 15 million people are estimated to be under saving for retirement, while projections suggest millions could face pensioner poverty by 2040 if current trends continue. Only around 4 per cent...

July 9, 2026

NewsAging, Asia, Health

09JulJuly 9, 2026

Asia’s super-aging societies are sparking a boom in high-end longevity clinics—even if ‘public enthusiasm’ is outpacing the science

A nondescript wooden door in Singapore’s central business district leads to an amiable concierge and a cup of warm tea. Customers at the Rekoop clinic swap their office clothes for scrubs and a pair of bedroom slippers, then are whisked through a series of wellness treatments: red light therapy, lymphatic massages, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and others. Clinics like this are part of a new wave of longevity offerings taking Asia’s luxury hospitality sector by storm. By 2030, one in four Asians...

July 9, 2026

NewsAging, Asia, Health

30MarMarch 30, 2026

Iran war forces Asian economies to confront sliding currencies and surging oil

Policymakers in the Asia-Pacific region are facing their toughest test since the Covid-19 pandemic, with few easy options, as they race to cushion their economies from an energy shock that is hitting harder and sooner than elsewhere. Asia buys about 80 per cent of the oil that is shipped through the Strait of Hormuz and, according to JPMorgan commodity analysts, it faces shortages that will worsen through April and May – meaning authorities will need to respond swiftly. In Manila, drivers...

March 30, 2026

NewsAsia, Political economy

19JanJanuary 19, 2026

Asia is entering the longevity era. How can we rethink wealth in a 100-year life?

For Asian countries in an aged-society stage, this demographic shift brings profound implications for how people are supported through longer lifespans. Just as a CFO manages risk and plans strategically, individuals must take a more active role in building financial resilience. The true success of a 100-year society lies not only in extending lifespan but in extending dignity, contribution and meaning. Across Asia, populations are ageing at a pace the world has never seen. Countries like Japan, the Republic of Korea and...

January 19, 2026

NewsAging, Asia, Longevity

09JanJanuary 9, 2026

Access to Pensions, Old-Age Support, and Child Investment in China

By Xiaoyue Shan & Albert Park This work studies how access to public pensions affects old-age support and child investment in traditional societies. Guided by predictions from an overlapping generations model, we analyze the influences of a new pension program in rural China, using a difference-in-differences approach. We find that the program crowds out transfers from working-age adults, especially men, to their elderly parents. Interestingly, the impact on child investment significantly differs by child gender. While adult parents increase educational investment...

January 9, 2026

Articles, Labor Market2025, Aging, Asia, Labor Market

02SepSeptember 2, 2025

As Asia’s over-65 population nearly doubles by 2050, insurers face new financial risks: Swiss Re

As Asia’s population ages rapidly, insurers must adjust their strategies to meet the changing needs of older adults, according to Ping Ji, Matt Singleton, and Torben Swart of Swiss Re Group, a global reinsurance company that provides research and risk management support to life and health insurers. In 2000, only 6% of the region’s population was aged 65 or older; by 2025, this is projected to reach 10%, and by 2050 nearly one in five people will be in this...

September 2, 2025

News2025, Aging, Asia, Pension Management, Risk

22AugAugust 22, 2025

Pensions in Aging Asia and the Pacific: Policy Insights and Priorities

By Rafal Chomik, Philip O’Keefe & John Piggott This paper looks at how pension systems across Asia and the Pacific can overcome common challenges of low contributory coverage, inadequate social pensions, and failure to include the informal sector. Pension systems in the region also exhibit gender inequities, a lack of policy flexibility and attention to labor incentives, and underdeveloped governance. The paper reviews the structure and performance of regional pension systems, and makes proposals for an expanded role for social pensions...

August 22, 2025

Books, Books, Pension design, Reports2025, Asia, Public Policy, Social Pensions, Social Protection

20AugAugust 20, 2025

Asia’s elderly risk getting sicker for longer. Hotelier Allen Law wants to ‘bridge the gap’ between lifespan and healthspan

Residents of developed Asian economies, like Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea, consistently top the rankings of places with the world’s longest lifespans. Singapore, for example, boasts an average life expectancy of 86.7 years, putting it at No. 2 behind Monaco, according to the CIA’s world factbook. Yet long lifespans come with a drawback: An extended period of ill-health or disability. Singapore’s average health span—the length of time where someone is deemed to be in good health—is 75 years, as noted...

August 20, 2025

NewsAging, Asia, Healthcare

07FebFebruary 7, 2025

Aging Well in Asia: Asian Development Policy Report

By Asian Development Bank The report explores four linked dimensions of well-being: health, productive work, economic security, and social engagement. It highlights the need for lifelong investment in human capital, a life-cycle approach to intervention for age-specific needs, and population-wide outreach to people of all ages. It provides concrete recommendations in the policy domains of health, employment and retirement, pensions, long-term care, and community-level support. Get the report here

February 7, 2025

Aging, Books, Books, Reports2024, Aging, Asia, Health, Public Policy

20NovNovember 20, 2024

Healthy New Town: Revitalizing neighborhoods in the wake of aging populations

Planned suburban residential neighborhoods in metropolitan areas known as new towns were initially developed in England. The new town movement spread from Europe to East Asia, such as to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore. In Japan alone, 2,903 New Towns were built, but many experienced rapid population decline and aging in the 40 years after their development. Therefore, they changed into old new towns and had to transform their facilities. Dr. Haruka Kato, a junior associate professor at...

November 20, 2024

NewsAging, Asia

July 2026

UK. Can CDC solve the retirement income challenge?

Asia’s super-aging societies are sparking a boom in high-end longevity clinics—even if ‘public enthusiasm’ is outpacing the science

March 2026

Iran war forces Asian economies to confront sliding currencies and surging oil

January 2026

Asia is entering the longevity era. How can we rethink wealth in a 100-year life?

Access to Pensions, Old-Age Support, and Child Investment in China

September 2025

As Asia’s over-65 population nearly doubles by 2050, insurers face new financial risks: Swiss Re

August 2025

Asia’s elderly risk getting sicker for longer. Hotelier Allen Law wants to ‘bridge the gap’ between lifespan and healthspan

February 2025

Aging Well in Asia: Asian Development Policy Report

November 2024

Healthy New Town: Revitalizing neighborhoods in the wake of aging populations