KUALA LUMPUR: The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, is scheduled to deliver the opening keynote address at the Silver Economy Forum (SEF) 2026, which will take place here on Nov 11 and 12.
The forum marks the first time the high-level international gathering is being held in Asia, bringing together 200 to 250 global, regional, and Malaysian leaders across government, business, and multilateral institutions to explore healthy longevity as a driver of economic growth.
The Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA) and the Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society (MHAS) said in a joint statement today that Sultan Nazrin’s address will formally welcome delegates and set out the importance of healthy longevity and the silver economy to the future prosperity of Malaysia and the Asean region.
Themed “Healthy Longevity for Economic Growth,” the invitation-only forum will address strategic investments across healthcare, caregiving infrastructure, labor participation, and innovation as Asia-Pacific emerges as the world’s fastest-aging region.
According to demographic projections cited in the statement, Malaysia’s population aged 60 and above is expected to rise from 11.6 per cent in 2024 to 17.3 per cent by 2040.
GCOA founder and chief executive officer Michael Hodin highlighted the strategic shift required to leverage an aging population.
“The ageing of global society represents an opportunity for all of us. We need to recognise that placing healthy longevity at the centre of business and government planning can unlock health, workplace/workforce, and innovation reforms. Those reforms benefit national economies,” Hodin said.
He added that the forum puts practical questions on the table regarding care delivery, preventive health financing, market development, and workforce adaptation.
“Silver Economy Forum 2026 puts practical questions on the table: how care is delivered, how preventive health is valued and financed, how silver economy markets are built, and how workplaces adapt to longer working lives. Healthy longevity belongs at the centre of that plan,” he said.
Meanwhile, MHAS president Prof V. Nathan said the platform provides a critical venue to foster public-private partnerships.
“The Silver Economy Forum presents an important opportunity for government and business leaders to exchange ideas, build strategic networks and explore meaningful collaborations. Addressing the needs of an ageing population requires fresh thinking, innovation and investment across multiple sectors.
“We hope this forum will inspire new partnerships and practical solutions that support healthy ageing, improve quality of life and unlock the economic potential of longer lives,” said Nathan.
According to the statement, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri will deliver a keynote address titled “Building Malaysia’s Silver Economy” on the second day of the forum.
“As our demographic transition accelerates, our response must be equally bold. SEF26 is an opportunity to demonstrate that government, business, and civil society can align around a shared vision – one where an older population is a source of national strength, not strain.
“We are committed to making Malaysia a model for healthy ageing across Asean and beyond,” Nancy was quoted as saying in the statement.
Other cabinet members scheduled to participate include Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, alongside representatives from the Health Ministry.
International speakers will also be attending the forum.