Since 2014, Thailand has become an aging society with more than 10 million elderly people accounting for 10 percent of the total population. On the other hand, children under the age of 15 account for only 18 percent of the total population, with a significant 2 percent drop each year. Thailand is predicted to become an ‘aged’ society in 2031 and a ‘super-aged’ society in 2050, with 20 and 30 percent of the total population being aged citizens, respectively. This means that out of every three Thais, one will be a senior citizen.
This demographic shift appears in several countries around the world, particularly in developed countries. However, Thailand will be the first middle income, developing country to enter an aged society while other countries in this aging process will have already escaped the middle income stage. This translates to challenges with employability, lower economic growth, and care and support of senior people. Nevertheless, with technology and digital innovation, there is currently the rise of advanced tools as a result of the demands from aged healthcare and higher life expectancy rates. In this publication, we explore key issues in healthcare and how to cope with these challenges.