Varatus Vongsurakrai, 68-year-old owner of a rice vermicelli factory poses for a portrait while working...
Varatus Vongsurakrai, 68-year-old owner of a rice vermicelli factory poses for a portrait while working on his office outside Bangkok, Thailand, February 5, 2016. The World Bank estimates the working-age population will shrink by 11 percent by 2040, the fastest contraction among Southeast Asia's developing countries. Thailand's stage of economic development, the rising cost of living and education, and a population waiting longer to get married are among the reasons it is ageing more quickly than its neighbours. An effective contraception programme in the 1970s also played a part, said Sutayut Osornprasop, a human development specialist at the World Bank in Thailand. Picture taken February 5, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva