Iran will have approximately 15 million old people by 2025. If the number of elderly people is 8 percent or more, it means the country’s population is gradually aging, experts say.
Officials say that there will be seven people above 60 years or more in the next decade or so among every 10 Iranian families.On the one hand the country’s population is growing older and on the other the population growth rate is declining steadily and can reduce further in the coming decades.
If the current trend continues the population of Iran can decline to 62 million by the turn of the century, from the present approximately 76 million, demographic studies say.
By 2041, the number of older people in Iran could also reach 20 million.
Young Cohort
Earlier, IRNA reported that the country has about 19.2 million people in the age group 15-25, accounting for 25% of the total population.
Iran’s young cohort is expected to touch 11.6 million or 14 % of the total population in 2050. While the youth now account for a major chunk of the overall population they will soon surpass the 30-year median age.
More than half the population was under 35 years of age in 2012. However, as the birth rate has dropped significantly, it is projected that the population growth rate will continue to slow down until it stabilizes above 100 million by 2050, studies say. The Statistical Institute of Iran says the population could face negative growth rate till 2041.
Also, Iran’s aging population is part of the global trend. The world population is slowly aging and the process is observed in all countries.
In the future, the social costs of caring for the elderly population will be quite high, if the overall flow of younger population does not increase, experts maintain.
