Lecture Series on National Population
6. Thailand
Thailand: Demographic Transition and the Aged Society

Asian Population Association announces its sixth session of the Lecture Series on National Population, on Thailand, with the program below. Please register and participate.

< Date >

Monday 31^st July 2023

< Time >

14:00 ～ (Bangkok time), 15:00 ～ (Tokyo time), 17:00 ～ (Sydney time)

< Speaker >

Associate Professor Dr. Sureeporn Punpuing

(Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University)

< Title >

Thailand: Demographic Transition and the Aged Society

< Abstract >

During the Thai demographic transition, the proportion of the working-age to total population increased from about 51 to 68 percent during 1970-2010. The large working-age population attracted foreign investors to Thailand and, during 1986-1999, the country enjoyed robust economic annual growth, ranging from 8 to 10 percent.

Rapid economic development, successful family planning, and increased labour-force participation of women contributed to the decline in the average number of births from over 6 in 1960 to 1.1 per reproductive-age woman in 2022. On the other hand, the increased longevity of older Thais has meant a rapid increase in the proportion of the total population that is over age 60 years. Thailand first became an ‘aged society’ in 2001 and, currently, has transitioned into a ‘complete aged society.’

Thailand prepared its 1st National Plan for Older Persons (1982-2001) two decades before becoming an aged society.  For the latest plan, Thailand is implementing a number of measures to boost quality of life for older persons: (1) Protecting health; (2) Supporting senior-friendly residences; (3) Supporting secure lives with dignity and honor; (4) Promoting sustainable income security; and 5) Assisting seniors during the pandemics or natural disasters. If these measures are effective, they will benefit all members of society.

< About the speaker >

Sureeporn Punpuing is an Associate Professor of the Institute for Population and Social Research (IPSR), Mahidol University. She was a Director of IPSR during 2008-2016. Her research focuses primarily on population including population projection, and particularly ageing and its related policy, cross-border migration, impact of migration on health of family members who left behind. Dr. Punpuing has published numbers of articles on international emphasize on ageing, cross-border migration and issues of employment, labor exploitation, health and well-being and social welfare of the migrants, children of the migrants, and migrant’s left behind family member. She holds a Bachelor degree in Statistics from Silpakorn University, Thailand; and Master and PhD degrees from the Australian National University, Australia. She was the President of Thai Population Association, an elected council member of the IUSSP. Currently, she is a director of the Mahidol Migration Center (MMC), IPSR, and a council member of the Asian Population Association (APA).

*Please register from:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpcO2hqDwqG9NAXdThe3flDayVdLyIcJIo