Reports, working papers, policy briefs and other publications

Rapid population ageing in the Asia-Pacific region has made long-term care (LTC) a critical healthcare priority, yet in-depth regional analysis of LTC challenges and opportunities remains limited. This paper focuses on LTC system strengthening, examining seven target countries from an ESCAP project the paper relates to (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Maldives, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand) and draws lessons from China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. It identifies LTC policies and practices, offering evidence-based recommendations through desk research, literature reviews, policy analyses and data from ESCAP, ILO, WHO and World Bank surveys and databases.

Asia and the Pacific is a region of very significant geographic, social, economic and demographic
diversity. Some countries have large and growing youthful populations, and, with investments in
education and health, can still benefit from the demographic dividend of the demographic
transition. Many other countries have already been affected by significant and rapid population
ageing. Moreover, even the “oldest” countries will experience substantial further ageing in the
coming decades, while all countries will eventually reach a point in which population ageing is likely
to pose large socioeconomic costs. These need to be better understood in order to mitigate
impacts and even gain benefits from having larger proportions of older populations.

Migration is a crucial factor in economies and societies in North and Central Asia. In 2024, over 6.3 million people born in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were living in countries other than their countries of their birth.