Sri Lanka is ranked at 46 overall out of 96 countries in the Global AgeWatch Index 2015 compiled by HelpAge International network of charities in partnership with University of Southampton in Britain.
India is ranked among the worst at 71.
The Index assessed the social and economic well-being of the older population in 96 countries around the world and found Afghanistan, ranked last, to be the worst place for older people to live.
For developing the Index, the researchers measured the lives of older people in four key areas: income, health, education, employment and the enabling environment.
“Sri Lanka performs best in the enabling environment domain (25) due to above regional average figures for social connectedness (79%), safety (71%) and civic freedom (81%).
“It ranks moderately in the capability domain (36), with an employment rate (50.3%) lower than the regional average (55.1%). It also ranks moderately in the health domain (54), with life expectancy at 60 (20) and healthy life expectancy at 60 (16.2) above the regional averages (19.3 and 14.8) respectively.
“Sri Lanka ranks lowest in the income security domain (78), with low pension income coverage (17.1%), a low poverty rate (11.3%) and low GNI per capita compared to regional averages”, the report said.
The annual index represents 91 per cent of the world’s population aged 60 and over, amounting to some 901 million people.
Switzerland (rank one) tops the Index, alongside Norway (rank two), Sweden (rank three), Germany (rank four) and Canada (rank five).
Apart from Japan (8) all the top 10 countries are advanced countries in Western Europe and North America.
Countries investing in improving the lives of older people are at the top of the Index. They are implementing policies which promote social pensions, universal healthcare and enabling physical and social environments for older people, the findings showed.
“This Index is vital in representing the lives of older people in countries around the world as it enables us to compare not just their pension income and health but also the age friendly environments in which they live,” University of Southampton professor Asghar Zaidi, who led the development of the Index, pointed out.
“Today, in all countries of the world, the proportion of older people is growing. By 2050, 46 of the 96 countries in the Index will have 30 percent or more of their populations aged 60 and over. We have just 35 years to prepare,” Toby Porter, chief executive of HelpAge International said.
According to the report the percentage of Sri Lankan population over 60 in 2014 was 13.9% and it is expected to increase in 2030 to 21.0% and in 2060 to 28.6%.
