TEHRAN – The rate of aging in Iran is growing faster than the global average, so that the country will be among the oldest countries in the world in 25 years, the head of the Welfare Organization has said.

Based on the World Health Organization (WHO) age classification in 2025, the elderly population constitutes those aged 60 and older. Accordingly, 14 percent of the country’s population is old now, ISNA quoted Seyed Javad Hosseini as saying.

A population is considered to be young, with seven percent of people being 60 or older; when seven to 14 percent of people are over 60, the country is said to be aging. Countries with 14 to 21 percent and 21 to 27 percent of people aged 60 or over are aged and super-aged, respectively, the official said.

In the Iranian year 1395 (2016 - 2017), only 9.5 percent of the population was aged over 60, and the global average aging rate was about 12 and 13 percent. In the Iranian year 1415 (2036 - 2037), the figure will rise to 15 percent in Iran and 16.5 percent in the world. However,  in 1430 (2051 - 2052), the figure will reach 31 percent in Iran, and 21.5 percent in the world, the official noted.

The life expectancy in Iran has increased, but the birth rate has lowered, Hosseini stressed.

According to the latest census, the number of aged citizens in the country is growing by 3.62 percent, which is five times faster than the total population growth rate, which is 1.24 percent. For the time being, elderly women account for 52.3 percent of the total population, outnumbering men (47.7 percent), ISNA quoted Saber Jabbari, an official with the health ministry, as saying.

Despite offering incentives to encourage childbearing in line with the youth population law, the desired growth in the youth population has not been accomplished yet. It is one of the most important challenges facing the country.

“At best, Iran’s population with a total fertility rate of 2.5 will reach 102,890,000 by the next seven years,” IRIB quoted Mohammad-Javad Mahmoudi, an official with the Civil Registration Organization, as saying.

In the last two years, the fertility rate has stabilized around 1.6, which has intensified concerns over the decreasing trend in population growth in the coming years, and the probability of turning Iran into one of the oldest countries in the world, the official highlighted.

Measures taken to empower older adults

The National Council of the Elderly has approved 18 strategic plans on aging to help improve the status of older adults.

These strategic plans include the development of age-friendly communities, formal and informal caregivers, neighborhood welfare programs, the bill to defend the rights of the elderly, amendment of executive regulations for organizing elderly affairs, training experts in aging, time bank, elderly data management dashboard, modern aging centers, elderly tourism, employment of the elderly, aging economy document, expansion of science and technology in aging, aging literacy, empowerment of single elderly women, long-term care insurance, and national survey.

The plans aim at boosting physical and mental health, social empowerment, improving the quality of care services, preventing harm, educating and developing culture and infrastructure, as well as enhancing the participation of older people.

Moreover, 16 cities in the country have so far taken necessary measures to develop age-friendly communities.

These cities are located in Tehran, Gilan, Yazd, Isfahan, East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan, Lorestan, Hamedan, Khuzestan, and Bushehr provinces.

The age-friendly environment has eight main domains, including transportation, social participation, civic participation, and employment, respect and social inclusion, housing, communication, and information.

MT/MG