The elderly population in the world is continuously increasing today. Although global health improvements have led to longer human lifespans, alongside this trend, growing disparities of poverty and wealth and new trends that challenge the respect for the rights of the elderly have become a central issue in global discussions. It is predicted that by 2050, the number of people over 60 years old will reach over 2 billion. The United Nations considers individuals aged 65 and above as “elderly”. However, in some policies, especially in developing countries, lower age thresholds such as 60 years old may be used. It should be noted that the age of 55 is not usually considered as the criteria for defining the elderly in UN population reports. Projections show that by the late 2070s, the elderly population will surpass the number of children under 18 years old.

Despite the rapid increase in the elderly population, they often face age discrimination, violence, and inadequate access to healthcare, employment, and legal support. In international human rights documents, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or international covenants on civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, the rights of older individuals have not been explicitly and comprehensively protected. Therefore, since the early 20th century, with the predicted trend of population aging, global attention has been given to the quality of life of the elderly, including healthcare, housing, nutrition, and access to basic services.

Timeline of Global Developments in the Field of Elder Rights.

1991 – The United Nations General Assembly, by adopting Resolution 46/91, recommended the four principles of independence, participation, dignity, and care for the elderly, under the title “United Nations Principles for Older Persons”, to governments.

In 2002, the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA) was adopted at the Second World Assembly on Ageing. This document was not legally binding, but emphasized the importance of including ageing issues in policy-making.

In 2010, the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWG) was formed to strengthen support for the human rights of older persons and explore the possibility of developing a binding legal instrument on the rights of older persons.

2012 – Increasing support from civil society and some governments for the development of the Global Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. In this year, a coalition of non-governmental organizations, national human rights institutions, and United Nations bodies called for the adoption of an international legal document and its obligatory implementation. Countries from Latin America, the Caribbean, and some African countries have been and continue to be major supporters of the Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.

2021 to 2024 – Intensifying efforts to officially begin negotiations for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. From this year, sessions of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) focused on core rights such as equality, non-discrimination, autonomy, health, and social support, and from 2023, pressure on the United Nations General Assembly increased to officially begin drafting this document.

The proposed key principles for this convention (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Older Persons), abbreviated as UNCROP, include: equality and non-discrimination, security against violence, the right to independence, access to healthcare, social support, lifelong learning, the right to employment and opposition to forced retirement, and the recognition of the role and participation of older individuals in society. As of 2025, this convention has not yet been adopted and is still in the stage of review and negotiation. However, civil society efforts continue to urge governments to begin official negotiations on the draft text.

Global Challenges of the Elderly.

Health and care.

Many elderly people suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease. In many countries, healthcare systems do not have the ability to provide proper care. Mental health, including depression, social isolation, and cognitive decline, is often overlooked or left untreated.

Financial insecurity.

Insufficient retirement benefits, inflation, high medical expenses, and job discrimination put the elderly in difficult economic situations. Elderly women face these problems more than men. The elderly also often face various forms of discrimination and difficulties in finding or maintaining employment. In addition to inadequate retirement benefits, increased cost of living, inflation, and medical expenses, they usually rely on fixed retirement incomes.

Social isolation.

Urbanization, migration, and decreased family interactions have led to an increase in loneliness among the elderly. The migration of children to cities or abroad leaves the elderly without family support. The loss of a life partner for older women and men on one hand, and the loss of friends and the inability to maintain social network connections on the other hand, make them feel even more lonely.

Lack of support for the elderly and lack of legal protection.

Physical, psychological, and financial violence and neglect of the elderly in families or governmental and non-governmental institutions is accompanied by a lack of supportive laws in many countries. The lack of legal protection is another aspect of the challenges faced by the elderly in many countries that lack strong laws or effective mechanisms for supporting the elderly.

Inappropriate housing.

Many elderly people live in homes that are not suitable for their mobility needs. Inadequate care in nursing homes is also a global concern. In many countries, especially families who are financially struggling, elderly people live with their daughters and sons. This can put a lot of mental pressure on them and make them feel burdened.

Digital divide.

Lack of digital skills deprives the elderly of services and communication. In Western countries, for older individuals, not having access or lacking skills in using digital tools can lead to their exclusion from the digital world, including accessing services, information, and social connections. In Western and North American countries where access to all services, especially healthcare and caregiving services, must be arranged online, the digital divide plays a hindering role. This issue is even more detrimental for elderly women.

Stonemasonry.

Ageism.

Stereotypes and age discrimination weaken the role and voice of the elderly in society. Seniors are often excluded from policy-making processes and civic participation.

Gender inequality among the elderly.

Elderly women often face multiple inequalities due to gender pay gap, lower lifetime earnings, caregiving responsibilities, and lack of digital skills. To address these inequalities, policies and programs should be designed and implemented that specifically consider the intersectionality of age and gender.

In America, women over the age of 65 are more likely to live in poverty than elderly men. In 2021, women made up 65% of the elderly population living in poverty, while only accounting for 54% of the total elderly population. A study by the “Institute on Aging” showed that 54% of single women over the age of 65 are economically insecure, compared to 45% of single men in the same age group. Economic insecurity means not having enough income to cover basic living expenses.

In England, men over the age of 55 have an average retirement savings of 114,000 pounds, while this number is around 66,000 pounds for women. In 2025, American women will only receive an average of 83 cents for every dollar earned by men. If we also consider the racial gap, Asian women earn 94 cents, white women earn 80 cents, black women earn 66 cents, Latin American women and Native American women earn 58 cents for every dollar earned by white men. This wage gap, along with job interruptions, leads to lower lifetime earnings, lower social benefits, and less retirement savings for women.

In UNECE countries (all of Europe, America, Canada, five Central Asian countries including Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Israel), only 67% of people aged 55-74 use the internet weekly. In the age group of 16-54, this number is over 90%. In this age group, elderly women have less access to the internet and basic digital skills compared to men. In the European Union, only half of women aged 55-74 have basic or higher digital skills, which is much lower than younger age groups. A survey by AGE Platform Europe showed that in the European Union, 46% of men and 39% of women aged 55-74 use online banking services. This gap is much wider in countries in the global south. Globally, smartphone ownership among people over 45 is only 19%, and in the elderly age groups, men have more smartphones than women and women

The situation of the elderly in Iran.

Elderly people make up approximately 8% of the population of Iran. In Iran, there are over five million families with at least one elderly person (65 years old or older). Until about 30 years ago, only 5% of the Iranian population was elderly, but in recent years, this number has increased to 10%. According to international statistics, for every 11 people in the world, there is one elderly person, but in recent years, on average, for every six people in the world, there is one elderly person.

Irj Khosravia, the head of the Iranian Society of Specialist Physicians, in an interview with the Shargh newspaper, says: “The elderly population in Iran has doubled in the past 30 years, while this trend occurs only once every hundred years globally.” According to him, in Iran, every 20 to 30 years, the elderly population doubles, which has brought serious social and health challenges. The challenges and problems of the elderly in Iran, in many cases, are in line with the challenges of the elderly in the world, with even more complexities and challenges. This is a process that has been created due to the lack of political will of those in power to respond to the needs of the elderly.

Protests by retirees in big and small cities are indicative of the economic situation of the elderly in Iran. Among them, female heads of households, due to their unique circumstances, face even more difficulties that require special attention and planning. Hossam Al-Din Alameh, a researcher in the field of aging and former head of the National Council of the Elderly, referring to data from the Iranian Welfare Organization, told Shargh newspaper: “61% of the country’s elderly live in relative poverty, 32% in absolute poverty, and 17% in extreme poverty, and more than 70% of them do not have supplementary insurance.” In light of the economic conditions, it is announced on May 17, 2025 that “if a person returns to work after retirement, not only will the employer face financial penalties during audits, but there is also a possibility of cutting the retiree’s pension.” Hossam Al-Din Alameh adds, citing the

According to these data, social isolation, decreased interactions, and loneliness are contributing factors to depression in the elderly. Recently, elderly suicide in Iran has received attention in the Iranian media. A study conducted in 2020 on elderly suicide has shown that the rate of elderly suicide in the country is increasing, but it is lower than the global average. The suicide rate among the elderly in Iran is an average of 5 per 100,000 people, which is lower than other countries, including South Korea and Scandinavian countries. However, there is not enough information about whether this reported statistic is accurate or if there are fewer reported cases of this type of suicide, or if the statistics are not properly recorded (usually these suicides are not publicly announced). Hesamoddin Alameh emphasizes the trend of increasing suicide in Iran and says, “With the increasing trend of aging population in Iran, the rate of suicide among the elderly is also increasing.” According to him, “the lack of insurance coverage

One of the growing trends in Iran is the elderly who have never married for various reasons and have not had traditional family support, making them more vulnerable. Another aspect that makes the situation of older women in Iran more challenging and complicated is sexual-gender restrictions and discrimination in policies and laws, especially in the realm of family laws. Mandatory hijab can also have an impact on the daily lives and social interactions of older women.

In reality, the face of aging in Iran is the face of women, which intersects with poverty and gender-based discrimination. Elderly women are particularly vulnerable to injustice due to divorce or the loss of their husbands, as they have a much lower chance of remarriage compared to men.

Improving the living conditions of the elderly in Iran, especially for elderly women and those who are economically disadvantaged, requires political will, human rights-based policies, and structural measures to eradicate poverty, expand insurance coverage, provide housing, and facilitate active aging. While representatives of the Islamic Republic always emphasize on the “family unit” and traditional roles of women in the United Nations, their actions show neglect towards the elderly in official policies. For example, the Iranian constitution refers to the elderly as “elderly women” or “retired individuals.” Iran also rejected and condemned Resolution 46/91, which emphasized the role of governments in upholding the four principles of independence, participation, dignity, and care for the elderly, with 24 votes in favor, 8 against, and 15 abstentions.

At the end, it is worth remembering that the human values of a society can be measured by how that society treats its elderly, especially those who struggle with poverty and loneliness.