An Update Based on the 2014 Survey of Older Persons in Thailand
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The Situation of Thailand’s Older Population An update based on the 2014 Survey of Older Persons in Thailand John Knodel Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan Vipan Prachuabmoh Wiraporn Pothisiri Population Studies Center Research Report 15-847 October 2015 This is a preliminary version of a report that will be published by HelpAge International, East Asia Pacific Regional Office which will also include a final chapter on Options for the future to be written by HelpAge staff. The analysis for this report is partially supported by the National Research University Grant (NRU, Year 4), Office of Higher Education Commission, Thailand through Aging Society Cluster of Chulalongkorn University (grant reference number: WCU-58-036-AS). Thailand’s Older Population: An update based on the 2014 Survey of Older Persons in Thailand 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Population ageing and the well-being of older persons are major emerging challenges for families, communities and government in Thailand as in much of Asia. The Thai government has been giving very serious attention to ageing issues. This was clearly indicated by the adoption of the Second National Plan for Older Persons covering 2002-2021, the prominence of ageing issues in the 2012-16 National Economic and Social Development Plan, and a 2015 establishment of the Department of Older Persons with expanded authority to carry out programs to support elderly Thais. Furthermore, the Old Age Allowance program was expanded in 2009 into a universal social pension for persons 60 and older who lacked other pension coverage. In addition, the National Savings Fund was set up in August 2015 to encourage savings for old age including self-employed persons and others in the informal segment. Thailand is fortunate in having a series of national surveys of the older population that detail their situation and provide comprehensive information for evidence-based policies and programs to address these challenges. The present report draws heavily on the most recent national survey conducted by the National Statistical Office in 2014 but also incorporates results from earlier surveys to document trends. Although the 2014 survey covered persons 50 and older, with exception to Chapter 2, this report focuses on those 60 and older, as this is the age range most commonly used when referring to older persons in Thailand. The ageing of Thailand’s population The number of older persons (defined as aged 60 and over) in Thailand has grown rapidly and will continue to do so in future decades. Since 1960 the number of older people in the Thai population has increased seven-fold from approximately 1.5 million to 10.7 million by 2015 or 16% of the total population. Future population ageing will occur even more rapidly with the number of older persons projected to increase to over 20 million by 2035, at which point they will constitute over 30% of the population. Moreover, within the next few years, persons 60 and older will outnumber children under age 15 for the first time in Thai history. Social characteristics of older persons Women make up a disproportionate share of the elderly, constituting 55% of persons 60 or older and 61% of those 80 or older. The majority of older men are married but women are almost as likely to be widowed as to be married and living with a spouse. This imbalance in marital status between men and women increases sharply with age. Among persons 80 and older only 18% of women have a spouse compared to over 60% of men. The percentage of older persons that never marry has been increasing and is likely to continue to do so in the future, especially among women. The average number of living children increases from 2 among persons aged 50-54 to 4.4 for those 80 and older reflecting the decline in fertility that began in the 1960s. In contrast the percent childless decreases rapidly with age from 11.4% for persons 50-54 to 4.6% for those 80 and older. Current low fertility levels ensure continued reductions in family size among the future generations of older people. Thailand’s Older Population: An update based on the 2014 Survey of Older Persons in Thailand 3 Education is an important factor in the well-being of older persons with adequate skills in reading and writing being critical for access to information and employment opportunities. The percent with no formal education increases from 6% among persons aged 60-64 to over one fifth among those 80 and older. Over 85% of persons aged 60 and above have no more than a basic primary education although educational levels of older persons are improving over time. Older women have considerably less education than older men but the gender gap in education is on the decline. Furthermore, in 2014, the majority of older persons reported participating in community activities during the past year. Participation is somewhat higher among those in their 60s and 70s than those in their 50s or those 80 and older. Around a third of persons 60 or older participate in an elderly club compared to only about 15% of persons 50-59. Living arrangements Living with one or more adult children is a longstanding practice among older age parents in Thailand and has traditionally been viewed as an essential way to meet their needs once they require support and assistance from others. Despite continuing widespread normative support for living with children, coresidence with children fell steadily from 71% in 1995 to only 55% in 2014 among persons 60 and older. Those who live with a married child are considerably more likely to live with a married daughter than a married son. During recent years, increased migration has led to greater dispersion of adult children of older persons. Between 1995 and 2011, the share of children living outside their parents’ province increased from 28% to 39% (the 2014 survey lacks relevant information to update this). Still, relatively few elderly parents are geographically isolated from all their children. As of 2014, only 22% have no child in the same village and only 14% have no child in the same province. Nevertheless, older persons with few children are less likely to live with an adult child suggesting that the trend towards smaller families combined with greater dispersion of children will contribute to a continuing decline of coresidence with children in the foreseeable future. Living alone or only with a spouse increased steadily since 1986. Taken together, these two measures indicate that the share of Thais 60 and older that live independently doubled. By 2014, 9% of older persons lived alone and 19% lived only with their spouse. However, living independently does not necessarily mean geographical isolation from children (or other relatives). As of 2014, roughly 30% of elders who live alone or only with a spouse have a child living next door and 46% have a child at least within the same locality. Household size declined steadily from just over 5 persons in 1986 to 3.6 in 2014. Over two thirds of older persons live in multigenerational households, although between 1994 and 2014 living in three or more generation households decreased from 47% to 32%. Among all persons 60 and older, 43% live in households with at least one grandchild including 10% that live in ‘skip generation’ households (i.e. households with one or more grandchildren but no members other than the older person and spouse). Skip generation households are considerably more common in the Northeast than elsewhere. Thailand’s Older Population: An update based on the 2014 Survey of Older Persons in Thailand 4 Sources of support and material well-being According to the 2014 Survey of Older Persons, 40% of all respondents aged 60 or older reported that they worked during the past 12 months (51% of men and 32% of women). The percent that worked during previous year declines steadily after age 60-64 for both men and women; at all ages men are more likely to work than women. The percent of persons 60 and older that worked in the previous year in 2014 decreased slightly from 2011 but was above the levels reported in the 1994 and 2002 surveys. Regardless of the year, the percent that worked is substantially higher among rural compared to urban elderly. This likely reflects a greater tendency among persons in agriculture, especially if self-employed, to reduce working in stages rather than to switch from full activity to no activity all at once. Housing quality and the presence of appliances and motor vehicles in households in which older people live continue to steadily increase. Between 1994 and 2014, there is a clear trend towards living in houses constructed with better materials. Living in a dwelling unit with access to a sit toilet more than tripled from only 10% in 1994 to 44% of older persons by 2014 while having piped water in the dwelling unit rose from just under a third in 1994 to 85% by 2014. By 2014 virtually all older persons live in a household with a television and 94% in one with a refrigerator. Over 80% of older people live in households with some form of motorized vehicle up from less than a third in 1986. One striking change is the increase from only 15% of older persons living in a household with any type of telephone in 1994 to over 90% in 2014 in a household with at least a mobile phone. This change is particularly important as it greatly facilitates communication with migrant children as well as calling for assistance in emergencies. Noticeable changes in sources of income have been taking place.