Active and healthy ageing is not accessible for more than 70% of the people aged 55 years and older from the Republic of Moldova, shows the Active Ageing Index that measures the current situation of people aged 55 years and older in the EU countries. Moldova has the lowest employment rate among people of pre-retirement age of 55-59/60-64 (49% and 27.6%, respectively), IPN reports.
According to a press release of the UNFPA, Moldova has significant delays in all areas and for all components of the Active Ageing Index. The Active Ageing Index scores only 21.1 points, which is 7 points less than the EU average (33.9points), and twice lower than the target objective of 57.5 points, set for all countries. Only one in 10 elderly people participates actively in the social life. One in two elderly people is deprived of the possibility to have an independent, healthy and safe life, while in EU only 1/3 of the elderly are found in such a situation.
Moldova has a very low capacity and inappropriate environment for active ageing. One of the reasons is the lower life expectancy, if compared with the EU countries (by almost 10 years lower). Other factors include the low level of education and mental condition of the elderly and low level of social connection of this category of people. The elderly in the Republic of Moldova have limited IT skills and limited lifelong learning opportunities.
There are significant differences of the Active Ageing Index and its components for women and men. The elderly women are more disadvantaged than men, and face more intense material, financial and physical vulnerabilities. The Active Ageing Index for women is only 25.7 points, while for men it is 29.2 points.
When presenting the research results, Mariana Buciuceanu-Vrabie, scientific researcher, coordinator at the Demographic Researches Center, stated that the barriers to active ageing were caused by the poor functioning of all areas of the social life, failure to ensure a decent living, limited opportunities to participate and get involved in the labor market and in the society, lack of personal security, and poor health condition of the population.
Natalia Cojohari, UNFPA Moldova Assistant Representative, stated that ageing could not be regarded anymore as an issues related to the pension and social protection fund only. “Moldova is one of the youngest countries in Europe, which is ageing the quickest. UNFPA will continue supporting the Government of the Republic of Moldova to cope with the existing dynamics by exchanging the good practices with other countries undergoing similar processes, and by supporting active ageing and intergenerational solidarity,” she said.
The Active Ageing Index was launched by the Demographic Research Center in partnership with the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.
