ANN/THE STAR – Sarawak will carry out a comprehensive study on its elderly population this year, says state Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.
The study, “The Preparation for an Ageing Sarawak: Profiling and Addressing the Issues Faced by Older Individuals in Sarawak”, will provide a detailed approach to the impending ageing phenomenon by 2028, she added.
Speaking after she opened an elder care centre in Sibu yesterday, Fatimah noted that Sarawak had seen a marked reduction in new births. The state recorded only about 20,000 births each in 2021 and 2022, against approximately 40,000 in previous years, she said.
“Consequently, Sarawak is undergoing the process of ageing, a phenomenon that will manifest in 2028, earlier than the national trend. “Estimates suggest that by 2028, about 15 per cent of Sarawak’s population will be 60 and above,” she added.
The Statistics Department projections that Malaysia is expected to be an ageing nation by 2030 when 15.3 per cent of the population will be aged 60 and over.
Given this, Fatimah stressed the need for an integrated whole-of-nation approach to address the issue of an ageing population.
She added that her ministry is also conducting studies on what other countries have done for possible implementation in Sarawak.
