LOWER marriage and birth rates, coupled with the increasingly ageing population, are causes for concern in Sarawak.
State Women, Community Well-being and Early Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said the number of Sarawakians hitting the 60-year-old “senior citizen” mark is growing every year, making it the fastest ageing state in Malaysia.
“My ministry is looking at these prevailing situations seriously as we need to prepare our people to care for a population with more elderly citizens every year.
“Right now, our senior citizens aged 60 and above already make up 15% of the state’s population and by 2028, we expect the figure to double.
“What is more worrying is that young Sarawakians are not getting married at the rate of previous generations,” she said after a community event on family development in Sibu town.
She said that previously, the number of Sarawakian babies born each year was about 40,000.
“Now, the number of new babies yearly has reduced to only about 20,000 in Sarawak.
“The fertility level is on the decline too,” she said.
Fatimah said her ministry is carrying out a statewide survey to look into these issues facing Sarawak society.
The ministry is liaising with Swinburne University, Universiti Sarawak Malaysia and Curtin University in Miri to conduct a comprehensive census on the population composition and to work out detailed planning to care for more elderly people every year, Fatimah said.
Her ministry wants to also study the measures being taken by governments of developed countries to care for the elderly.
Sarawak needs to introduce such measures into its community development planning without delay, she added.
Sarawak has a population of some three million people, with about a million living in the rural districts. – August 6, 2024
