Abstract
Most of the world’s older people live in the Asia/Oceania region, which includes a diversity of countries at different stages of economic development, and different stages and pace of demographic and epidemiological transition. Japan, Korea and Australia are economically advanced countries, with significant proportions of their populations already aged over 65. Other countries such as China, India and Indonesia are experiencing a rapid pace of population ageing. Over the next 15 years, the proportion of the population aged 65 and over is projected to rise from 9.5 to 16.2 % in China, from 5.5 to 8.2 % in India and from 5.4 to 9.2 % in Indonesia. This presentation will provide an overview of these population trends, similarities, differences and challenges for this highly diverse region, setting the scene for subsequent presentations.