Malaysia towards an ageing nation: nutritional balance and the golden years

Malaysian is an ageing nation where the number of the elderly keeps on increasing each year, currently at 10.7 per cent, or 3.5 million people, of the total population (DOSM, 2020). Due to many factors, the life expectancy at birth in the year 2020 is now at 75 years old. For men and women aged 60 years old in 2020, they are expected to live for another 18.4 and 21.2 years respectively, which means close to 80 years old (DOSM, 2020). At the present rate, Malaysia will become a ‘super-aged’ nation by 2056 where 20 per cent of its population are 65 years old and above (Norma Mansor et al., 2021)