Thailand has become an aged society and will become a “super-aged” society by 2031 when 28% of the population will be 60 or older. The country has witnessed a low birth rate for several decades, but it was not until last year that more deaths than births were recorded. In 2021, deaths outnumbered births at 563,650 versus 544,570.
Experts are alarmed by the low birth rate and have suggested the government needs a policy to promote a higher fertility rate, but many people are unfussed. With unemployment among new graduates expected to rise in the Covid-battered economy, some say it is probably better off this way.
“It’s a good trend, isn’t it? People are struggling to make a living and the jobless are everywhere,” said a resident in Bangkok when asked about the low birth rate.
The experts’ warning about a shrinking workforce and growing retirees in the next 10 years…
