PROJECT
Living Arrangements of Older Adults in the Developing World  

Reviewing a survey form in Cambodia. Photo credit: Zachary Zimmer

The family is perhaps the most important institution for older adults in the developing world, and the living situation of the elderly is a fundamental determinant of their well-being.

The aged often are among the most poverty-stricken segments of developing-country populations, owing to the fact that they often cannot work for pay. In addition, because of health disorders that become more prevalent at older ages, the aged often have physical functioning problems and, as a result, often need help conducting important daily tasks, like cooking and shopping. These characteristics do not describe every older adult, but they are typical of many, and the longer an individual lives the greater the likelihood he or she will require material or physical support. Support may come from a combination of public and private sources in developed countries, but the family tends to be the cornerstone of social support in the developing world.

This is certainly truer in places with weak institutional security mechanisms, such as sub-Saharan Africa. As such, knowing where they live, with whom they interact, and how they go about obtaining support is critical for understanding the well-being of older adults.

Although most older adults live with others, this project has found that a significant proportion are living alone (9 percent); this is more common for women than for men (11 percent vs. 7 percent). Co-residence with an adult child is one of the most important living-arrangement indicators, and in developing countries between 40 percent and 80 percent of older adults live with an adult child. Older adults in general are more likely to be living with sons than with daughters, a situation that often reflects the patriarchal nature of societies.

But in some countries (e.g., in Cambodia and in much of Latin America) a more bilateral system prevails, and older adults are equally or more likely to be living with daughters. Education is a key determinant of living arrangements throughout the developing world, with better-educated older people being more likely to live independently. However, all of the project’s living-arrangement findings are subject to regional variation, given the diversity of living situations around the world.

China is an important focus of research, given its rapidly changing age structure and the sheer number of older adults living there. A recent study confirms the importance of children as the most frequent source of physical and material support for older adults. However, this study also shows that the number of children is not the most important factor determining whether an older adult receives support, provided he or she is not childless.

Instead, other social and economic factors, such as rural versus urban residence, are critical. China is changing in many ways, and the study results suggest that socioeconomic change may have a greater bearing on the future support of older adults than reduction in family size.

Location

Developing world

Duration

2000–ongoing

Population Council researcher

Zachary Zimmer

Non-Council collaborators

Julia Dayton

Sovan Kiry Kim (Royal University of Phnom Penh)

Julia Kwong (The University of Manitoba)

John Knodel (University of Michigan)

Donors

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Population Council

US National Institutes of Health

Publications/Resources on this project

See Also

• Aging

• Social Science

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This page updated 8 May 2006

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