International Day of Older Persons
Next: October 1, 2027
For the people who raised us.
The story
Where it comes from
On 14 December 1990 the UN General Assembly designated 1 October as the International Day of Older Persons (resolution 45/106). It followed the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, adopted at the first World Assembly on Ageing in 1982, and in 1991 the Assembly added the UN Principles for Older Persons. The day honours the grandparents, neighbours and elders who raised families and built communities, and asks how a world that is living longer can make those extra years healthy and dignified.
How it's celebrated
The UN holds events in New York, Geneva and Vienna around a theme set each year. For everyone else it is a good reason to do something simple: call, visit or write to an older person who matters to you, and ask them a question about their life that you have never asked before.
Did you know
- The number of people aged 65 or over tripled from about 260 million in 1980 to 761 million in 2021.
- The UN projects that by 2080 people aged 65 or older will outnumber children under 18.
- Singapore became a 'super-aged' society in 2026, with 21.4 per cent of its citizens aged 65 or over.
Coming up next
- International Day of Non-Violence · October 2, 2027
- Hari Batik Nasional · October 2, 2027
- Gaecheonjeol (National Foundation Day) · October 3, 2027
- Pierre Bonnard's Birthday · October 3, 2027
- World Animal Day · October 4, 2027
- World Teachers' Day · October 5, 2027