Ageing Population, the Poverty Nexus and Wellbeing of Elderly in Mauritius

Jouan, Karlo; Rowtho, Vikash; Rughoobur-Seetah, Soujata; Hosanoo, Zuberia; Ramloll, Christel

Abstract

Human settlement process in Mauritius started in 1715 and by the 1960s the population had reached above 660,000 people. Life expectancy was below 60 years and the population pyramid suggested a young and growing population. The population has now doubled, life expectancy has risen to 75 years, and the population pyramid has meanwhile evolved to a stationary one. As the population ages, the country faces new challenges. The continuous rise in the dependency ratio represents a concern not only for the elderly but for the whole population, because of its impact on the labour force, economic prospects for the country, income security for the elderly, and the risk of increased poverty. Mauritius has adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the fight against poverty and social exclusion remains a priority. This chapter provides some insights into the new challenges for the nation by focusing on the financial security of the elderly as well as some elements of healthy ageing

• Online Publication Date: Jan 31, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022
• Deposit Date: Sep 2, 2022
• Publisher: Springer
• Pages: 147-164
• Book Title: Ageing Asia and the Pacific in Changing Times: Implications for Sustainable Development
• ISBN: 978-981-16-6662-9
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6663-6_9
• Keywords: Elderly, Financial security, Healthy ageing, Poverty, Social protection
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2911119
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-981-16-6663-6.pdf