World Bank: East Asia needs to deal with impact of ageing societies

Tokyo

THE proportion of elderly people is rising faster in East Asia than anywhere else, and this is a trend that could rob the region of up to 15 per cent of its working-age population within 25 years, the World Bank warned in a report on Wednesday.

The economic, fiscal and social impact of this on what is currently one of the fastest-growing regions of the world could be severe unless steps are taken to deal with the situation, the report added.