Iran ageing rapidly as demographic window set to close within 15 years
Iran is among the five countries with the fastest-growing elderly populations and its demographic window is expected to close within 15 years, with older people set to outnumber young people and teenagers, the head of the State Welfare Organization said on Wednesday.
Javad Hosseini told a press conference, attended by Iran Daily, that about 13% of Iran’s population, or nearly 11 million people, are currently elderly. But the impact of ageing extends beyond this group, with about 23.5 million people in the country’s active population facing issues related to ageing in various ways.
The elderly population is growing at 4.8%, more than four times the overall population growth rate of 1.24%, Hosseini said as his organization marked the International Day of Older Persons.
He said estimates showed Iran’s demographic window would close between 2041 and 2043, when the number of elderly people would exceed the number of young people and teenagers. By 2051, he said, elderly people were expected to account for 31% to 33% of the population.
“Iran has not yet entered the stage of an ageing crisis, but the speed of its movement towards severe ageing is high,” Hosseini said, warning that without planning, ageing could become a social crisis.
The government is preparing for the economic impact. Hosseini said a comprehensive Silver Economy roadmap had been drawn up across 14 areas, while a comprehensive employment plan for older people was being prepared. A Silver Economy exhibition is also due to be held in November.
The social pressures are already significant. About 260,000 elderly people have disabilities, accounting for 22% of people with disabilities, while around 77,000 elderly women are heads of households, Hosseini said.
About 60% of elderly people do not receive pensions, he added, as declining family support, a growing number of elderly people living alone and rising healthcare and living costs increase the need to redesign social and economic support policies.