International Day of Older Persons - World Health Organization (WHO)

Dr Nilesh Buddha, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East AsiaIn the WHO South-East Asia Region, the proportion of people aged 60 years and above is projected to nearly double between 2024 and 2050, from 11.3% to 20.9%. However, many older people spend part of their later years living with ill health, disability or care needs. At age 60, the regional health span gap – the number of years someone lives with chronic disease or poor health – is 4.6 years. This year’s International Day of Older Persons carries the theme “The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives,” a call to treat healthy ageing as more than a health-sector issue. Rethinking systems means mobilizing the sectors that shape how people age – health, social protection, housing, local government, and more – to ensure that longer lives are also lived well. The Region is making progress, with Member States increasingly translating the healthy ageing agenda into national and local action. Thailand, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, India and Timor-Leste have enacted policies and programmes for integrated care, long-term care, age-friendly approaches, and stronger institutional mechanisms.