Older Persons

In 2016, older persons over 65 years of age made up approximately 7 per cent of the population of Viet Nam and face relatively a high incidence of poverty at approximately 22 per cent. With this vulnerability as a growing concern, the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam adopted reforms to the old age pension schemes in 2007 with the law of social insurance and the social pension scheme in order to extend coverage to the entire working-age population.

In the Republic of Fiji 6 per cent of the total population is over the age of 65 and by 2025 this group will represent 10 per cent of the population. In 2011 the Government of Fiji adopted a reform of the mandatory pension insurance provided by the Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF) in order to promote income security among older persons. The FNPF Decree was promulgated in November 2011, introducing major structural changes to the Fiji National Provident Fund, administered by the Board of the Fund.

The population of the Republic of Yemen reached approximately 27.28 million in 2015 and approximately less than 3 per cent of all Yemeni are over the age of 65.In 1991, the Government of the Republic of Yemen adopted a new constitution that safeguards the rights of older persons to claim care and assistance form the State and guarantees the right to social security for all.

In 2012 the State of Kuwait’s population over the age of 65 made up 2 per cent and is expected to grow to about 7.5 per cent over the next three decades. In an effort to ensure basic income security for the growing number of older persons, the Government of Kuwait passed the Amiri Law Decree No. 61 of 1976 and launched the Public Institution for Social Security, providing a contributory pension scheme available to Kuwaiti workers in the public, private and oil sectors.

In the Arab Republic of Egypt, the share of population aged 65 or older is projected to increase 5.22 per cent in 2015 to 13.1 per cent in 2050, thus placing higher demands on the existing pension system. In 2013 the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt reformed its pension system, introducing the new Old Age Pension (OAP) scheme to more effectively provide basic income security to older persons. The pension scheme is under the National Organisation for Social Insurance (NOSI), which administers funds and benefits to claimants.

As of the beginning of 2017, those over the age of 65 make up approximately 11.7 per cent of the population in Cuba, and by 2050 this group is expected to grow to 27 per cent. The Government of the Republic of Cuba has a long history of social pension schemes dating back to 1963 and more recently broadened the legal framework to protect the right of older persons to income security in 2008 and 2011, thus strengthening an existing Social Security Pension Scheme (SSPS). The National Social Security Institute is responsible for the administration and management of funds that form the SSPS.

In the Republic of Namibia persons over the age of 65 made up 3.2 per cent of the total population in 2015. This group is expected to represent about 21 per cent of the population within the next three decades. In a proactive effort to ensure basic income security in the context of demographic ageing, the Government of the Republic of Namibia passed the National Pension Act in 1992 and launched a non-contributory universal National Pension Scheme (NPS) available to all Namibian citizens over the age of 60, regardless of income level.

As of 2015, the total population of Mauritius over the age of 65 has increase from 8 percent to 9.56 per cent from 2012, and in 2008 this group faced a relatively low incidence of poverty at 6 per cent.  This low incidence of poverty among older persons has been achieved through the Government of the Republic of Mauritius’s long commitment to income security for older persons with the implementation of the Basic Old Age Pension, introduced in 1951.

In Bolivia those aged 65 and over make up 6.5 per cent of the population in 2015, and in 2002 this group faced a high incidence of poverty at 53 per cent. In response to this high incidence of poverty the Government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia launched the Renta Dignidad, or Dignity Pension programme (RDP) in 2008. The RDP is a universal benefit for all residents aged 60 years and older. RDP is part of a strong State priority to guarantee a minimum level of universal income security to all Bolivians.

Older persons make up 7.25 per cent of the population of Ecuador as of 2015. In order to address poverty among older persons, the Government of the Republic of Ecuador approved the Social Security Law in 2001, creating a legal framework to ensure income security for older persons. Ecuador made further progress in 2008 when social security was enshrined as a fundamental right in the 2008 Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador.