2024-11-03-亚开行-东亚老年人的福祉_中国_日本和大韩民国（英）_41页_852kb

Well-Being of Older People in East Asia: PRC, Japan, and ROK

Key Findings

• Cross-Country Variations in Depression:

  • Older Chinese are least likely to have clinical depression (15.5%), followed by Koreans (26.5%) and Japanese (36.7%).
  • Even after factoring in education, economic status, health, and family factors, South Koreans are particularly vulnerable to depression.

• Drivers of Health Disparities:

  • Japan sees societal factors (like long working hours for older men) weakening well-being, despite top-notch healthcare.
  • South Korea has policies skewed for urban areas, leaving many rural elders behind.
  • China still faces systemic issues like unequal pension coverage between rural and urban residents.

• Economic Impacts:

  • GDP growth alone explains little; notably, China ranked higher on happiness indices in 2023 compared to Japan and the ROK.
  • Deeper issues: East Asian demographics point to high elderly dependency ratios.

Potential Solutions

• Strengthen pension schemes
• Enhance rural healthcare infrastructure
• Build community support systems

Evidence & Limitations

• Access to micro-level data through surveys like CHARLS, JSTAR, KLoSA
• Decomposition studies show mixed country-specific factors and national policy stances contribute unequally to mental health outcomes
• Methodological scrutiny needed as cross-country analyses face econometric challenges

Data sources: Asian Development Bank Economics Working Paper, October 2024.