Ageing in Sri Lanka

Developing a strategy for ageing in Sri Lanka requires a good understanding of the socio-economic issues faced by the elderly. This calls for the analysis of poverty among the elderly, demographic and health trends, and labour market developments, as well as studying of limitations and gaps in existing programmes and exploring possibilities for new interventions. It also involves better understanding of society’s attitudes towards ageing and the elderly, as well as the elderly’s own perspective on their needs and concerns.

To foster the welfare of the elderly, especially the needy elderly, as well as to enhance the overall growth, the primary objectives of the World Bank ageing study – of which this project is an integral part – is to help Government and other stakeholders formulate a coherent, long-term strategy for addressing Sri Lanka’s ageing. In this context, the objective of this assignment is to analyze labour market trends as well as pathways to and the timing of retirement in order to explore possibilities of improving employability of the older to promote the culture of active ageing.