Older Persons

Latin America has been experiencing a progressive change in the demographic composition of its population, which is ageing rapidly. In Mexico, according to the projections of the National Population Council (CONAPO), in 2015, out of every ten Mexicans, almost three were under 15 years of age (27.6%) and only one was 60 years or older (10%).

 As of 2015, there were 48,243 persons living with disabilities in Timor-Leste, making up 4.6 per cent of the population. In order to provide basic income security for this vulnerable group, the Government of Timor-Leste introduced the Support Allowance for Elderly and Persons with Disabilities in 2008. The allowance is managed by the Ministry of Social Solidarity and administered by the National Directorate for Social Security with assistance from authorities at the national, district and sub district levels.

According to ESCAP, there are approximately 5.1 million persons living with disabilities in Japan. In 1985 the Government of Japan introduced disability benefits as part of the country’s national multi-tiered pension programmes in order to provide access to income support for persons with disabilities. Japan’s national pension schemes are administered by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

 According to the World Bank, in 2016 persons over the age of 65 years make up approximately 10 per cent of the population in China. In 2009, the State Council of China introduced the New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS) to provide basic income support for older persons in rural areas. Local offices of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security supervise the fund for individual pension accounts.

In 2016 older persons made up 5.8 per cent of the total population of the Republic of India, and by 2030 this group will make up 11 per cent of the population. With poverty among older persons a growing concern, the Government of India launched the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) in 1995 in order to provide basic income support to poor households through regular cash transfers. The NSAP has been designed to complement cash transfers from the State-level in order to ensure a nationally defined minimum level of income support.

A national social protection floor creates a solid foundation upon which effective mechanisms to reduce poverty and enhance human capital and productivity can be mobilised to promote inclusive, sustainable and resilient development. Upon this foundation, States have moved away from fragmented social protection schemes toward integrated systems that avoid overlap and address gaps in coverage.

The population of Kenya reached approximately 46 million in 2015, and older persons over the age of 60 make up approximately 2.8 per cent of the population.  In August 2010, the Government of Kenya adopted a new constitution in which social security is recognised as a constitutional right for all and entitles older persons with the right to claim care and assistance from the State.

The Continuous Benefit Programme, or Benefício de Prestação Continuada da Assistência Social (BPC), was launched by the Government of Brazil in 1996 in order to provide older persons and persons with disabilities with a minimum level of income security. The BPC is grounded in the 1988 Constitution and is regulated by the 1993 Organic Law for Social Assistance (LOAS).

Uruguay’s residents over the age of 65 represent approximately 14 per cent of the population. This population experienced a relatively low incidence of poverty at approximately 3 per cent in 2003. The Government of Uruguay has contributed to this low incidence of poverty through the introduction of the Non-Contributory Pension for the Elderly and Disabled, or Programa de Pensiones No Contributivas a la Vejez e Invalidez, (PNC) in 1919. This scheme provides economic support to all older and disabled persons who lack a monetary income to afford their livelihood expenses.

In 2016 older persons made up 5.5 per cent of the total population of the Independent State of Samoa. By 2050, older persons will make up approximately 10 per cent of the population. In an effort to provide access to adequate income security for older persons, the Government of Samoa introduced the Samoa Senior Citizens Benefit Scheme (SCBS) in 1990. The SCBS complements the 1972 Samoa National Provident Fund (SNPF) scheme covering those in the formal sector. The Board of the Samoa National Provident Fund administers both schemes.