Thailand
Basic country data
- Population over 60 in 2010:
- 7,867,505 (12%)
- Projected population over 60 in 2050:
- 23,249,886 (30%)
- Poverty rate of total population:
- 2%
- Income of country:
- Lower middle income
- Social pension?
- Yes
Scheme information
- Scheme information: Old Age Allowance
- Year introduced:
- 1993, extended to those without pensions in 2009
- Monthly pension benefit:
- 600 Baht (19 US$)
- 4.05 % of average income
- 89 % of international poverty line
- Age of eligiblity:
- 60
- Targeting:
- Pensions-tested
- % of population over 60 covered:
- 72%
- Total cost:
- 0.32% of GDP
In 2011 a tiered benefit level of the Old Age Allowance was introduced, as described in the video below. This sees those of different age groups recieving different transfer amounts: between 60 and 69 years (600 Baht a month), between 70 and 79 (700 Baht), between 80 and 89 (800 Baht) and over 90 (1,000 Baht).
"Social Protection: A Life Long Necessity", below, provides an insight into the importance of the UN's Social Protection Floor initiative. The third part of the film, produced with support from HelpAge International, focuses on Thailand's Old Age Allowance. The film shows the importance of a social pension not only to older people but also to the wider community.
Resources on the pension in Thailand
-
Social Pensions in Thailand and Beyond
Year: 2013 | Published by: HelpAge International
This presentation was made by Charles Knox-Vydmanov, Social Protection Policy Adviser at HelpAge International on 5th March 2013. It compares the Thai social pension...
-
Social protection for older persons: Social pensions in Asia
Year: 2012 | Published by: ADB
This publication aims to address the knowledge gap of social pension reform in Asia and the Pacific. In particular, it examines what has been...
-
Pensions at a glance - country profile: Thailand
Year: 2012 | Published by: OECD
Country profile from OECD's "Pensions at a glance: Asia/Pacific 2011".
-
Government of Thailand: OPPO News (video)
Year: 2012
This government video, also available from http://www.oppo.opp.go.th/, outlines the tiered transfer rates of Thailand's social pension.
-
Conference on social pensions in the Philippines
Year: 2011 | Published by: HelpAge International, DSWD, COSE
The conference "Social Pensions: Learning from Asian Experience" was held in Manila on March 17, 2011. The conference was held by the Department of...
