Page 106 - IJPS-11-4

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Examining intergenerational transfers in

Malaysia

Halimah Awang , Muhammad Amirul Ashraf Abd Ghani* , and
Norma Mansor
Social Wellbeing Research Centre, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract

With the demographic changes toward the aging population, the role of
intergenerational support and transfers has become increasingly prominent in the
family support network. Using the Malaysia Ageing and Retirement Survey Wave 1
conducted in 2018/2019, this study analyzed the flow and factors associated with the
amount of intergenerational financial transfers across three generations via multiple
regression analysis. The results showed an upstream flow of financial support from
younger to older generations. Variables with significant capability in determining
the amount of intergenerational financial transfers include age, gender, ethnicity,
education level, marital status, employment, health status, number of living children
or parents, income, and financial assistance received from the government. Findings
*Corresponding author: from this study are useful for policymakers to understand the issues of old-age
Muhammad Amirul Ashraf Abd financial security in Malaysia and thus implement relevant policies such as improving
Ghani
(amirulashraf@um.edu.my) the coverage and adequacy of existing social protection programs, strengthening
family support networks, as well as educating the public on the importance of having
Citation: Awang, H., sound financial knowledge.
Ghani, M.A.A.A., & Mansor, N.
(2025). Examining intergenerational
transfers in Malaysia. International
Journal of Population Studies, Keywords: Intergenerational relationships; Intergenerational transfers; Financial transfers;
11(4): 100-118. Malaysia
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.1326
Received: July 18, 2023
1st revised: September 25, 2023 1. Introduction
2nd revised: October 20, 2023
The world is grappling with the inevitable trend of population aging. An indication of
Accepted: December 6, 2023 the aging trend is the higher world average life expectancy, which had increased from 51
Published online: November 29, years in 1960 to 73 years in 2019 (World Bank & World Development Indicators, 2019).
2024
Despite the remarkable progress made in extending life expectancy, population
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). growth is observed to be decelerating, which is around 1% as of 2023 (World Bank &
This is an Open-Access article World Development Indicators, 2024). As a result, in 2018 for the first time ever, the
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution population of persons aged 65 and older exceeded that of children under the age of
License, permitting distribution, five (UN, 2019). The combination of an aging population and a declining birth rate
and reproduction in any medium, raises serious concerns about the sustainability of economic development in the future,
provided the original work is
properly cited. particularly for low- and middle-income countries. The absence of appropriate policy
planning will undoubtedly hurt the overall well-being of older persons.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with Malaysia’s population distribution in the 1970s was predominantly dominated by
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional younger age groups. The population’s composition has changed toward older-age cohorts
affiliations. as a result of the demographic transition that took place over the last several decades.

Volume 11 Issue 4 (2025) 100 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.1326