Best countries to grow old: Phl ranks 44th

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines ranked 44th in the global ranking of the best and worst countries to grow old in.

It also placed 66th among 122 countries in terms of human capital, according to a separate study.

The Global AgeWatch Index 2013 surveyed 91 nations on the wellbeing of the elderly.

It was compiled by the elder advocacy group HelpAge International and the United Nations Population Fund.

The Philippines placed 73rd in the area of income security for the elderly, 70th in health status;,17th in employment and education, and 21st in an enabling environment.

Global AgeWatch said while older people still face challenges in achieving income security and health status, the government is taking positive action, like the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

“A targeted old age allowance is still too limited to make any difference,” Global AgeWatch said.

“There are also policies and programs that recognize older people’s contribution, provide entitlements to access social services, promote their full employment and maximize opportunities for their participation in national development.

“The government also recognizes the need to address older people’s specific needs in terms of healthcare, housing and income security.”  

In Southeast Asia, the Philippines ranked just behind Thailand (42) and ahead of Vietnam (53), Indonesia (71), and Cambodia (80).

Malaysia and Singapore were not included in the survey due to insufficient data, the Global AgeWatch said.

The 10 best countries to grow old in are Sweden, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, USA, Iceland and Japan. 

Britain came in at 13, ahead of Australia (14) and France (18).

Lower down in the rankings were the emerging economies of Brazil (31), China (35), South Africa (65), India (73) and Russia (78).

The bottom 10 are: Honduras (82), Montenegro (83), West Bank and Gaza (84), Nigeria (85), Malawi (86), Rwanda  (87), Jordan (88), Pakistan (89), Tanzania (90), and Afghanistan (91).

WEF study

In a human capital study released by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Philippines landed 66th out of 122 countries covered.

The Geneva-Based WEF is a non-profit, independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.  – With Ted Torres