Briefing Paper

Social Protection of the Elderly in Tanzania: Current Status and Future Possibilities

“This brief summarises the findings of a study on social protection of elderly in Tanzania. The study began by analysing the current status of living arrangements and material well-being of Tanzanians over 60 years of age, using data from the 2007 Household Budget Survey (HBS 2007) conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics and the Views of the People 2007 survey (VoP 2007) conducted by Research on Poverty Alleviation. It then assessed the affordability of a universal pension for all persons over age 60 or 65 years, set at the food poverty line. Finally, it explored the implications of introducing an old age
pension on the socio-economic and political attitudes and behaviours of Tanzanians.”