International Day of Older Persons

Between 1950 and 2010, life expectancy rose, on average, from 46 to 68 years. In 2019, there were 703 million persons aged 65 or over in 2019 with Eastern and South-Eastern Asia showing the largest number of older persons (261 million), followed by Europe and Northern America (over 200 million). Less than 20% receive a pension. In 2020, the number of people aged 60 years and older outnumbered children younger than 5 years. Over the 30 years, the number is projected to more than double, reaching more than 1.5 billion by 2050 with 80 per cent will be living in low- and middle-income countries. International Day of Older Persons is to recognise the significance of this social transformation and to address the major implications of population ageing on labour and financial markets, the demand for goods and services (e.g., housing, transportation, social protection) and the value of family structures and inter-generational ties. 2021 marks the first year of the The Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030) during which governments, civil society, international agencies, professionals, academia, the media, and the private sector are coming together for concerted, catalytic and collaborative action to improve the lives of older people, their families, and the communities in which they live.