Lanka is aging fast with little care for the aged

For parents whose children cannot afford to carry the burden of aging parents in addition to meeting the needs of their micro families, fate has been brutal

On the first of this month, the world commemorated the International Day of the elderly (those who are 60 years and above).  The number of people aged 60 years or more worldwide has more than doubled, from around 541 million in 1995 to 1.2 billion in 2025. This figure is expected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050.

In our own country this year (2025), our total estimated population is a little above 22 million, with the elderly accounting for 12.5 percent  of the population. According to statisticians, by 2050 every one in four citizens in this country will be 60 years or over.

Today,  the working population in our country stands at 8,275,154.

With the breakdown of the extended family system in our land, the ageing fathers and mothers of our country face a terrible predicament. With our economy in the sad state it is today, these people are left with no support system to aid them as they age.

Agriculture is the main occupation of Sri Lankans now. The World Bank in 2023 reported 26.26% of our people are involved in agricultural work. Agriculture unfortunately is one of the lowest income earning occupations. It is also considered as an undignified form of occupation.

Unsurprisingly,  sons and daughters from the farming community are today dropping out of that profession in droves. They seek employment in the cities. With the limited industrial capacity of our country, these folk end up working as unskilled workers and are paid tuppence as wages. 

Their meagre wages forces them into tenement dwellings on the fringes of the city. Their wages leave them nothing for savings or to help their elderly parents. Sadly,  the farming community neither enjoys  retirement benefits as in the case of monthly paid workers in the mercantile sector,nor are they covered under a pension scheme as those in state or semi-state institutions.

Even more sad is the fact that a majority of workers in our cities labour as temporary hands. They depend on a daily wage without facilities for leave etc. These workers, too,  are not covered by the Employees Provident Fund/Employees Trust Fund benefits.They also do not enjoy pension rights which are reserved only for state and semi-state sector employees.

Before the breakdown of the extended family system, the aging were maintained by friends and relatives especially if they lived in rural areas. With increasing migration from rural areas to the cities, care centres and what are referred to as ‘homes for the aged’ were run by religious groups. Government too, ran a few of these centres. But facilities were limited and recreational facilities nearly nil. In the more recent past,  a number of private homes and residences for the elderly have begun springing up. Unfortunately,  privately run homes can be afforded by parents whose progeny are abroad and do not have the will and/or capacity to look after their parents who have now become dependents. 

For parents whose children cannot afford to carry the burden of aging parents in addition to meeting the needs of their micro families, fate has been brutal. We pass them at bus halts begging for a rupee or two, at rail stations, street corners and traffic lights, helpless and forgotten. Often a number of us scold them when approached. Yet, it’s  the government we must blame for its lack of care.

A ‘Groundviews’ poll conducted in 2024 showed that the top priorities for increased government spending among Sri Lankans were health and education, not specifically aged care. However, in small and sometimes unnoticed ways, the government without much fanfare is beginning to put care for the elderly as a priority.

Today at government and semi-government institutions, the elderly are given priority in getting their needs attended to. Officials manning these counters treat elderly with care and respect. However, this is not so at all government institutions. Estate Tamil workers who all these years brought in the foreign exchange that kept our economy floating are not treated with dignity when trying to withdraw their savings. 

It is not uncommon to see these innocent people being driven from pillar to post by uncaring officials. While the present government has set in motion the wheels to protect the elderly, much more still remains to be done.