Economy minister says just 27 years to prepare for Malaysia’s rapidly ageing population, warns nation will be ‘super-aged’ by 2060

Malaysia faces a rapid transition towards "aged nation" status by 2048, only 27 years after achieving "aging nation" status in 2021, posing significant challenges compared to the prolonged transitions of developed countries.

Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir highlighted the need for urgent national preparedness amid issues like slowing workforce growth, inadequate retirement savings, and increased demand for elderly care.

The National Aging Blueprint 2025-2045 is under final review and will be presented in the Dewan Rakyat, aiming to address these demographic challenges.

Furthermore, there are opportunities for the "silver economy" to spur business and employment growth, benefiting from sectors like elderly care and health technology.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — Malaysia has only about 27 years to make thorough preparations for the transition to an “aged nation” status by 2048, a transition period that is significantly faster than that experienced by several developed nations.

Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said that this short timeframe leaves the government with limited time to strengthen national preparedness, contrasting sharply with 115 years for France, 73 years for Australia, and 69 years for the United States.

He noted that Malaysia officially attained “aging nation” status in 2021, when the population aged 65 and older reached seven per cent of the total population.

“Based on current projections, Malaysia is expected to reach ‘aged nation’ status by 2048, when the percentage rises to 14 per cent, and subsequently become a ‘super-aged nation’ by 2060, when it hits 20 per cent.

“The country’s experience with aging also faces unique challenges because our income levels are lower compared to developed nations when they underwent the same transitional phase,” he said during the oral question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Akmal Nasrullah was responding to a question from Dr Zaliha Mustafa (PH-Sekijang), who sought an update on the status of the National Aging Blueprint (NAB) 2025-2045 set to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat and the government’s preparedness to address the demographic challenges of an aging society.

Elaborating further, he noted that this demographic shift presents various challenges, including slowing workforce growth, insufficient retirement savings, and a sharp rise in the demand for healthcare and elderly care services.

To address these issues, he said NAB is currently in the final stage of government review before the White Paper on Preparation for Becoming an Aged Nation is tabled in the Dewan Rakyat during the current session.

Responding to a supplementary question from Dr Zaliha regarding a proposal to establish a district rejuvenation pilot zone in the Sekijang parliamentary constituency where 10.8 per cent of the population is aged 60 and above, Akmal Nasrullah said the government is willing to consider implementing the project in affected areas.

He acknowledged that the trend of young people migrating to major cities accelerates the aging process in specific localities, and that urban management approaches as well as recreational tourism planning for the elderly require specific re-examination.

Meanwhile, in response to a supplementary question from Salamiah Mohd Nor (PN-Temerloh) regarding the role of youth, Akmal Nasrullah stated that the “silver economy” or the economy catering to the elderly has the potential to create new business and employment opportunities for young people through sectors such as elderly care, health technology, and digital services.

Consequently, he noted that the Ministry of Economy, together with the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) and relevant agencies, is formulating specific indicators to accurately measure the silver economy’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). — Bernama

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马来西亚在 2021 年成为“老龄化国家”后仅 27 年，到 2048 年就将迅速过渡到“老龄化国家”状态，与发达国家漫长的过渡期相比，这带来了巨大的挑战。

经济部长阿克马尔·纳斯鲁拉·莫哈末·纳西尔强调，面对劳动力增长放缓、退休储蓄不足以及老年护理需求增加等问题，国家亟需做好充分准备。

《2025-2045年国家老龄化蓝图》正在进行最终审查，并将提交下议院审议，旨在应对这些人口挑战。

此外，“银发经济”也为促进商业和就业增长提供了机遇，老年护理和健康技术等领域将从中受益。

吉隆坡，10 月 5 日——马来西亚只有大约 27 年的时间来为 2048 年过渡到“老龄化国家”状态做好充分准备，这一过渡期比一些发达国家经历的过渡期要快得多。

经济部长阿克马尔·纳斯鲁拉·莫哈末·纳西尔表示，如此短的时间意味着政府只有有限的时间来加强国家防灾准备，这与法国的 115 年、澳大利亚的 73 年和美国的 69 年形成了鲜明对比。

他指出，马来西亚在 2021 年正式成为“老龄化国家”，当时 65 岁及以上人口占总人口的 7%。

“根据目前的预测，马来西亚预计将在 2048 年达到‘老龄化国家’的水平，届时老龄化比例将上升至 14%，随后在 2060 年成为‘超老龄化国家’，届时老龄化比例将达到 20%。

“我国在应对老龄化问题上也面临着独特的挑战，因为与发达国家在经历同样的转型阶段时相比，我国的收入水平较低，”他在今天国会下议院的口头问答环节中说道。

阿克马尔·纳斯鲁拉是在回答扎利哈·穆斯塔法博士（希望联盟-塞基让）的提问时做出上述表态的。扎利哈博士询问了即将提交下议院审议的《2025-2045年国家老龄化蓝图》的最新进展，以及政府为应对老龄化社会的人口挑战所做的准备。

他进一步阐述道，这种人口结构变化带来了各种挑战，包括劳动力增长放缓、退休储蓄不足以及对医疗保健和老年护理服务的需求急剧上升。

他表示，为了解决这些问题，国家老龄化局目前正处于政府审查的最后阶段，之后将在本届国会下议院提交《为成为老龄化国家做准备白皮书》。

针对扎利哈博士提出的关于在塞基江选区（该选区60岁及以上人口占10.8%）设立地区振兴试点区的补充问题，阿克马尔·纳斯鲁拉表示，政府愿意考虑在受影响地区实施该项目。

他承认，年轻人向大城市迁移的趋势加速了特定地区的老龄化进程，城市管理方法以及老年人休闲旅游规划需要进行专门的重新审视。

与此同时，针对萨拉米亚·莫哈末·诺尔（国盟-淡马鲁）提出的关于青年作用的补充问题，阿克马尔·纳斯鲁拉表示，“银发经济”或服务于老年人的经济有潜力通过老年护理、健康技术和数字服务等领域为年轻人创造新的商业和就业机会。

因此，他指出，经济部正与马来西亚统计局及相关机构合作，制定具体指标，以准确衡量银发经济对国内生产总值（GDP）的贡献。——马新社

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