Taiwan is set to become a super-aged society by the end of 2025. The government plans to strengthen the three major pillars of health in ageing societies (as defined by WHO) in the hope of making the country a global model for ageing nations.
The three major pillars of health in ageing societies according to the World Health Organization (WHO) are health, participation, and security. These pillars are often referred to as the components of active ageing, which aims to optimise opportunities for well-being throughout the life course.
According to a media report in the news portal https://focustaiwan.tw/ president Lai Ching-te in a recent public function said Taiwan's senior care sector is expected to reach NT$3.6tn (S$120.59bn) in value in 2025, which would likely represent more than one-seventh of GDP.
Mr Lai said it was even more important now to implement measures to address the health issues of older adults given that Taiwan has currently about 4.57m people aged 65 or older, accounting for around 19.6%. By end of 2025 Taiwan is expected to touch the 20% mark, which is considered as a threshold of a super-aged society.
Speaking about the need to strengthen the three major pillars of health, Mr Lai said to begin with we plan to improve Taiwan's medical quality and healthcare services. The second pillar pertains to the government's plan to introduce "long-term care 3.0" in 2026. Providing comprehensive support services for elderly people, particularly in terms of food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, and recreation constitutes the third pillar.
Under the World Health Organization's definition, a society is considered "ageing" when the population aged 65 and above reaches 7% of the total population; "aged" when it reaches 14%; and "super-aged" when it reaches 20%.