Sri Lanka is now one of the fastest-ageing Asian country. One in every four Sri Lankans is expected to be aged 60 or above by 2040 according to country's health authorities.
According to healthcare professionals the proportion of elderly citizens in Sri Lanka has risen sharply over the past decade, from 12% in 2012 to 18% in 2024.
Sri Lanka ministry of finance director general Ms Shiranthi Rathnayake has said that we should be giving the maximum benefit of the ‘silver dividend’ to the ‘Silver Economy’ of the elderly and for this a social protection policy is being developed not just taking into account the elderly but across the whole lifecycle and in the social protection strategy the social insurance/security pillar is very important.
Speaking at a media briefing organised by the Health Promotion Bureau, consultant community physician Dr Nishani Ubeysekara noted that projections indicated a further increase, with one in every four Sri Lankans expected to be aged 60 or above by 2040.
Dr Ubeysekara said, “According to the 2012 census, 12% of Sri Lanka’s population were aged 60 years and above. In the 2024 census, this has risen to 18%. By 2040, we expect around 25% of the population, one in four people, to be elderly.”
She attributed the demographic shift to increased life expectancy and declining birth rates, adding that compared to other Asian nations, Sri Lanka was among those with the fastest rate of population ageing.
National Hospital Colombo consultant geriatrician Dr Sithira Seneviratne highlighted the growing medical concern of falls among older adults, which are now being recognised as a disease condition linked to frailty.
Health experts say the rapid growth of Sri Lanka’s elderly population will require stronger community health systems, elder care services, and public awareness to ensure healthy ageing in the years ahead.