Nation Thailand
Sultan Nazrin urges ASEAN to make healthy ageing accessible to all
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His Royal Highness Sultan Nazrin Shah, Ruler of the State of Perak, Malaysia, has urged ASEAN countries to make healthy ageing accessible regardless of wealth, arguing that many nations in the region are growing old before they grow rich.
Key facts
- Global research cited in his address estimated that consumers aged 60 and over accounted for more than 27% of global consumer spending, or about US$19 trillion, in 2026
- Yet Malaysia’s National Health and Morbidity Survey 2025 found that just 14.7% of people aged 60 and above met its criteria for ageing well
- Turning to Malaysia, Sultan Nazrin noted that about 12% of its population was aged 60 or above
- Thai gold prices close THB1,400 lower after volatile trading
- Citing an ASEAN Secretariat report, Sultan Nazrin noted that Southeast Asia’s population aged 60 and above was projected to rise from 77.4 million in 2020 to 173.3 million by 2050
- ASEAN leaders had already recognised these issues in 2015, when they adopted the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Ageing at the same convention centre
Summary
Health & Wellness
Speaking in the royal opening address, “The Silver Economy: A Foundation for Shared Prosperity”, at the Silver Economy Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Wednesday (November 11), the Perak ruler called for societies to prepare for longer lives while protecting the dignity and independence of vulnerable older people.