Population aging is proceeding at a rapid pace in Thailand posing important
challenges for the government and society as a whole. On the positive side, the
material well-being of older persons in Thailand has been improving. Older Thais live
in better quality houses with far more appliances and amenities compared to a decades
or two ago. The recent spread of telephones improves their ability to maintain contact
with children and relatives who live elsewhere. Still, a large rural and urban gap in
material well-being remains. Also of concern, given current widespread reliance on
children for material support, is that future elderly will have far fewer children to
depend on. Hopefully efforts by family and state will complement each other and
allow Thailand to adapt constructively to the inevitable ageing of its population.