KUALA LUMPUR: The government’s white paper on preparing for an aged nation, scheduled for tabling this year, has yet to get Cabinet approval, says Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir (pic).
He said the government was aiming to table it with the National Ageing Blueprint 2045 (NAB 2045) in the current sitting – the last of the year.
“The white paper on preparing for an aged nation, together with the blueprint, is planned to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat after obtaining the Cabinet’s approval,” he said in reply to Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa (PH-Sekijang) during Question Time yesterday.
On Jan 28, he told the House the government was committed to tabling the white paper this year.
Speaking in Parliament, Akmal Nasrullah said Malaysia became an ageing nation in 2021, when people aged 65 and above made up 7% of the population.
The percentage is projected to reach 14% in 2048 and 20% around 2060 – the thresholds for aged and super-aged nations, he said.
According to him, the shift from an ageing to an aged nation would take Malaysia about 27 years.
“In comparison, the same transition took 115 years in France, 73 years in Australia and 69 years in the United States,” he said.
Akmal Nasrullah added that Malaysia was ageing at a lower income level than developed countries were at the same stage.
“This leaves a more limited window to strengthen the country’s preparedness,” he said.
He said the demographic change had brought challenges, including slower labour force growth, insufficient retirement savings, and rising healthcare and care needs.
He added that tackling these issues required maintaining productivity and ensuring sustainable public finances.
He said NAB 2045 covered economic development, employment, education and skills, social protection and financial security, health and long-term care.
On the silver economy, Akmal Nasrullah said the government saw it as a potential new source of growth.
The silver economy covers all economic activity, products, services and policies designed to meet the needs of people aged 50 and older.
“Measuring its contribution to gross domestic product requires consistent definitions, scope and statistical methods because these activities cut across various sectors,” he said.
