About 8.3% of the population is elderly, said Farid Barati Saddeh, head of the Secretariat of the National Council of the Elderly (SNCE).
“Currently, there are 6.4 million people over 60 years of age in the country, equal to 8.3% of the population,” he was quoted by IRNA as saying.
The ratio is 7.8% in urban and 8.9% in rural areas. Gilan Province with 11.5% has the highest number of older people followed by Markazi, Mazandaran, East Azarbaijan, and South Khorasan provinces.
Iran’s “grey citizens” will further increase as of 2021. In addition, elderly women will comprise 14% of the population in 2041. Therefore the upcoming five-year economic development plan (2016-2020) should devise a comprehensive plan for the aging group, he said.
“The challenges will be numerous if we fail to address the issue.”
