Countries in the ESA region are ageing rapidly, and 95 million people aged 60+ will reside in the ESA region by 2050. The impact of this trend and the needs of growing populations of older people are still not sufficiently considered in national and internationally driven development initiatives, putting older people at risk of being left behind.
This report provides an overview of population ageing and health trends in 23 countries in East and Southern Africa, and assesses the readiness and responsiveness of health, social welfare and long-term care systems to ageing and the needs of older people in the region. It assesses the state of regional, sub-regional and national frameworks and structures in place to support healthy ageing in six focal countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Rwanda, and South Africa) and provides a set of recommendations to inform policy development and strategic interventions going forward.
