Sri Lanka is experiencing rapid demographic changes with an ageing of its population. This publication takes Sri Lanka as a case study to examine the ageing patterns in the country, with a view to have a better understanding of the status of the elderly and the adequacy and coverage of the present system of retirement benefits in the country. The study finds that the old-age dependency is increasing in Sri Lanka, although the economic dependency has remained stable. Only a quarter of Sri Lanka's working age population is found to be covered by retirement benefits, indicating a need to redistribute income from workers to non-workers in order to achieve comprehensive retirement coverage. The study argues for a means tested retirement scheme, as a universal pension benefit scheme would not be affordable to the country in the medium to long-term.

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