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A Pace of Its Own: The Demography of Ageing in Sri Lanka

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Abstract

The process of demographic ageing in Sri Lanka is striking in comparison to the experience of other countries in South Asia, and in comparison to many developing countries more generally. The proportion of the population older than 60 years in Sri Lanka was much higher—almost double—than in any other country in the region in 2000, and by 2030, it is expected that nearly one of every five Sri Lankans will be elderly. The rapid ageing of the Sri Lankan population is contributing to the emergence of several policy issues that will undoubtedly become more acute in the years to come. The primary aim of this paper is to examine the magnitude, characteristics and determinants of demographic ageing in Sri Lanka, a country whose demography has received little international attention, and discuss some of the implications of this ageing process for selected policy issues.

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Notes

  1. This paper draws upon previous research by Siddhisena (2001, 2004), Mujahid and Siddhisena (2009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Demography, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka

    K. A. P. Siddhisena

  2. Department of Economics, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, 04011, USA

    Deborah S. DeGraff

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  1. K. A. P. Siddhisena
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  2. Deborah S. DeGraff
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Correspondence to Deborah S. DeGraff.

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Siddhisena, K.A.P., DeGraff, D.S. A Pace of Its Own: The Demography of Ageing in Sri Lanka. Population Ageing 2, 77–99 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-010-9025-1

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