Partner Re | Understanding ageing in APAC: why perception, planning and protection don’t always align

April 29 2026

Asia-Pacific populations are ageing rapidly, profoundly affecting individuals, families, insurers, and societies. To better understand how people across the region perceive ageing, financial preparedness, caregiving, and protection, PartnerRe has joined forces with Kantar, one of the world’s leading research companies, to conduct a wide‑ranging ageing survey spanning multiple APAC markets. 

In this interview, Edward Yeun, APAC Head of Client Solutions for PartnerRe’s Life & Health business in APAC, shares what prompted the launch of the study and highlights several early findings that are already challenging common assumptions.  

The survey is still ongoing, with further insights to be released later this year. 

What prompted the launch of this study now?

Asia Pacific is ageing faster than any other region in the world, yet conversations around ageing remain fragmented, often focused on health, finances, or caregiving in isolation, rather than viewed with a holistic perspective that considers the full ecosystem of care – both today and in the future.  

Understanding what current systems provide, and where critical gaps remain, is essential to clarifying the role the insurance industry can play.  

PartnerRe works closely with life insurers across the region, and we see firsthand the growing complexity of longevity risk, not just for individuals, but for families and societies. Partnering with Kantar allows us to ground those observations in robust, multi‑market consumer data. 

What makes this survey different from existing research on ageing?

One of the key differentiators is that we looked at ageing through multiple lenses: older individuals themselves, caregivers (often adult children caring for ageing parents), and those who are not (yet) caregivers.  

That comparison reveals striking gaps between perception and reality. Ageing isn’t a future issue. It’s already shaping financial decisions, family dynamics, and insurance needs today. By capturing these different perspectives, we can better understand where people feel prepared and where they feel exposed. 

Were there any early findings that surprised you?

Yes, the most striking was the gap between respondents’ health status and their actual insurability.  

Older individuals across the region reported relatively strong overall well‑being (7.2 out of 10), yet only just over half are estimated to be insurable.  

What sets this research apart is that we did not stop at perceptions: respondents also answered embedded underwriting questions, allowing us to assess eligibility based on health factors rather than belief alone. That said, these results should be interpreted with some caution: disclosing health information in a consumer survey is not the same as doing so in an actual insurance application, and real‑world behaviors may differ.

This gives us, for the first time, a directional view of where confidence, perception and underwriting reality align – or diverge – recognising that survey disclosure and real-world application dynamics are not identical.  

It is already clear that firsthand experience of the emotional, physical and financial burden associated with caregiving is the most powerful activator of insurance awareness. For the industry, that distinction matters when considering how, and to whom, future propositions are designed and communicated.

When we analysed those underwriting responses, the disconnect became even clearer. Among the elderly, 56% believed they would qualify for coverage, yet only 39% were assessed as likely to do so. 

A similar pattern emerged among caregivers, where perceived insurability far exceeded estimated eligibility once underwriting criteria were applied (89% felt insurable, against an actual estimated qualification rate of 25%). By examining where respondents failed the underwriting questions, we were also able to identify specific friction points and derive insights into how acceptance rates could be improved without sacrificing sustainability and underwriting discipline. 

These numbers suggest that current product propositions and underwriting frameworks are not keeping pace with the protection needs of an ageing population. There is a real opportunity for insurers to rethink how coverage is structured and accessed and whether through simplified entry points, or products specifically designed around the health realities of older and caregiving segments.  

Those who need coverage most are precisely those who the current market is least equipped to serve. Closing that gap is both a commercial opportunity and, frankly, an industry imperative. 

We also observed meaningful differences between caregivers and non-caregivers and their awareness of available insurance products. Those with lived caregiving experience show higher awareness of long-term care insurance compared to non-caregivers.  

While further research will deepen these insights, it is already clear that firsthand experience of the emotional, physical and financial burden associated with caregiving is the most powerful activator of insurance awareness. For the industry, that distinction matters when considering how, and to whom, future propositions are designed and communicated.  

How do risk concerns differ across segments and regions?

They differ quite sharply. Older individuals are understandably more concerned about physical decline: chronic illness, reduced mobility and dementia. Younger respondents and non‑caregivers, however, are far more anxious about financial instability and having enough money for retirement.  

Caregivers sit somewhere in between, balancing both physical and financial realities. This segmentation is critical because it suggests that a one‑size‑fits‑all approach to protection simply won’t work.  

Thailand, for example, shows the highest insurance openness of any market at 8.2 out of 10, while Australia and New Zealand – despite having the highest mental health burden in the study at 27% diagnosis rate – show the highest rates of planned inaction. 

The survey also looks closely at caregiving. What stood out there?

Caregiving often begins gradually rather than as a planned decision, with 39% of caregivers describing sliding into their responsibilities over time. This means many families may be unprepared when the burden intensifies.  

Over two-thirds of current non-caregivers expect to take on the role in the future, rising to nearly 9 in 10 in Thailand. And with more than half of caregivers across APAC simultaneously supporting both ageing parents and dependent children, the financial and emotional pressure on this sandwich generation is considerable and largely uninsured. Only 37% have taken concrete steps toward their own future care planning. 

What does the research suggest about attitudes toward insurance and protection solutions?

The research points to a persistent gap between how insurable individuals believe they are and their actual insurability. Even in markets where perceived insurability is relatively high, some segments still show limited appetite for purchasing insurance – often until later life or until care needs become immediate.  

This highlights an important expectation mismatch: affordability and broad coverage depend on engaging earlier in the life cycle, before age‑related or health‑related risks materialise. 

For insurers across the region, this presents both a challenge and a clear opportunity: not only to design products and distribution approaches that meet people where they are in their planning journey, but also to play a stronger role in raising awareness about when and how insurance works best.   

This survey is still ongoing. What can we expect next?

The quantitative phase of our study is now complete, and we are actively sharing the insights with insurer partners across the region.  

Our next phase will deepen these findings through qualitative interviews with MDRT-qualified agents across the same markets. This will bring the distribution perspective into the conversation and explore how agents experience these gaps firsthand in their interactions with clients.  

We look forward to sharing more detailed, market-specific findings with our clients later this year and continuing the conversation on how insurers can better support ageing populations across APAC. 

 

 

 

 

Edward Yeun
APAC Head of Client Solutions, Life & Health
PartnerRe
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