Iran faces aging crisis: Elderly population to reach 33.4 million in 32 years

The head of Iran’s National Council on Aging Secretariat, has singled out lack of specific budget allocation as a major reason for the failure to achieve the goals of Iran's National Document on Aging, which seeks to reverse the speeding ageing trend.

Mojgan Rezazadeh noted on Sunday that from 1956 to 2016, the population of Iranians aged 60 and above increased from 1.4 million to 7.4 million.

She stressed that while the elderly population grew slowly over the past six decades, it is expected to increase rapidly, reaching 33.4 million by 2056. Similarly, those aged 65 and above will rise from 5 million to 23 million.

Despite the growing elderly population, the issue of aging has not been addressed in the country’s development plan, Rezazadeh regretted and urged for the inclusion of a budget for the aging population in next year’s budget proposal to address the social issue.

She emphasized that effective management and planning can provide opportunities to utilize the experience of the elderly and ensure equal and dignified conditions for them.

Currently, 9.866 million elderly individuals in Iran, 52.27% women and 47.73% men, make up the total population of about 85 million in the country.

IFP Editorial Staff

The IFP Editorial Staff is composed of dozens of skilled journalists, news-writers, and analysts whose works are edited and published by experienced editors specialized in Iran News. The editor of each IFP Service is responsible for the report published by the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website, and can be contacted through the ways mentioned in the "IFP Editorial Staff" section.