(informal translation by GLORI foundation, the original article in Russian can be accessed at www.akipress.kg)
According to National Statistics Committee, probability of women reaching their pension age is 90% vs 70% for men in Kyrgyzstan. It is necessary to note that retirement period for women starts 5 years earlier (men retire in 63 years old, women retire in 58 years old) The modern 60-year-old women are likely to live on average for another 20 years, men for 15 years. In 2016, life expectancy for men was 67 years old whereas for women 75.1 years.
The gap in life expectancy is associated with differences in mortality of sexes: male mortality is about one and a half times higher than mortality of women. According to UN classification, if the total proportion of population of aged people in the range of 65 and older is below 4%, the population of country is considered young, interval between 4 to 7% suggests that population is on the threshold of old age, if above 7% it can be classified as old.
The population of Kyrgyzstan is gradually approaching the threshold of old age: at the beginning of 2017 there were 275 thousand in the age of 65 years and older, or 4.5% of Kyrgyz citizens. However, this number is lower in other CIS countries (the figure in Kazakhstan at the beginning of 2016 – 7%, Armenia and Moldova – 11%, Russia 14%, Ukraine 16%). According to the UN forecast, in case of Kyrgyzstan, the proportion of older people aged 65 years and older will be close to 7% in 2030.