Since 1980, the number of people over 65 years old has tripled – from 260 to 761 million. International Day of Elderly: the world rethinks aging Culture and education in 2025 the world looks at aging in a new way: older people are not perceived as passive recipients of assistance, but as active participants in public life. They contribute to healthcare, community stability, financial stability and human rights protection – and this contribution is becoming more and more noticeable every year. International Day of Elderly, established by the UN in 1990 and celebrated on October 1, serves as the elderly to express their opinions, defend rights and call for changes. But the path to this day was long: from the Viennese action plan of 1982 to the principles of the UN 1991 and the 2002 Madrid plan. ~ ~ 60 > international documents, such as the Madrid action plan on aging problems, have been set by guidelines for building a society favorable for all ages. In 2025, these principles gained a new sound: the theme of the year emphasizes the role of elderly people as engines of progress. ~ 60 >In developing countries, elderly people are one of the fastest growing segments of the population. A policy aimed at expanding their rights, access to medicine and social protection, as well as the fight against discrimination, becomes the key to sustainable development. 60 > numbers have been said to themselves: since 1980, the number of people older than 65 years has been tripled – from 260 to 761 million. By 2050, their share in the world population will reach 17 percent, and by 2080 there will be more than the elderly than children under the age of 18. Already today, there are 1.2 billion people over 60 years old in the world, and by the mid-2030s, the number of those for 80 will exceed the number of babies. ~ 60 >~ 60 > aging population requires rethinking health and social support systems. The question of dementia is especially acute – one of the main causes of disability in old age. Specialized assistance is necessary, adapted to the functional capabilities of older people and their surroundings. ~ 60 > special attention deserves the role of women: they provide about 70 percent of all hours of informal care in the world, especially in countries with low and medium income. This makes them especially vulnerable to poverty in old age and requires urgent solutions at the level of politics. 60 > elderly people are not only the memory of society, but also his conscience, its energy and his voice. The recognition of their role is not a gesture of goodwill, but a strategic necessity. In 2025, the world takes a step towards a generation, which deserves not only respect, but also equality.