Older Persons Day in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan Date in the current year: October 1, 2024

International Day of Older Persons was established at the 45th cession of the UN General Assembly in December 1990 and was observed for the first time on October 1, 1991. It is celebrated in dozens of countries across the world, raising awareness about issues that affect the elderly, such as senescence and senior abuse. It also aims to highlight the contributions that older persons make to society. In some countries, including Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, International Day of Older Persons was included in the list of national observances.

According to 2009 estimates, elderly people (aged 65 or older) accounted for almost 8% of the total population of Kazakhstan. The number of elderly women was almost twice as high as the number of elderly men, since average life expectancy was 62.5 years for males and 73.5 years for females. If we expand the term “elderly people” to include not only those who are 65 or older, but all retired people, the number of elderly people in Kazakhstan will be 11% of the total population, or more than two million people.

In Tajikistan, the percentage of elderly people over the age of 65 was only 3.6% as of 2009. However, the fact that the percentage of elderly people in Tajikistan is less in Kazakhstan does not mean that they do not need state support, especially given the high level of labor migration from Tajikistan: as more and more young people travel to Russia and other countries to work, there almost is no one left to care for the elderly.

The number of elderly people in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, as well as throughout the world, is growing every year, and the potential support ratio (the number of people aged 15-64 per one person aged 65 or older) is, respectively, decreasing. This increases the state budget expenditures on social protection and social security, as well as affects the labor market, the country’s economic indicators, family structure and intergenerational relations.

The existing social security systems in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan cannot keep up with the increasing elderly population growth rate, which makes the quality of life of older persons in these countries suffer. Therefore, one of the tasks of Older Persons Day is to raise awareness of the issues that elderly people face on a daily basis and to consolidate efforts to solve serious problems concerning social protection and social security, pension coverage and healthcare.

On the occasion of Older Persons Day, retirees in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan usually receive a one-time welfare payment. In addition, various festive events for elderly people are organized throughout both countries, such as concerts, exhibitions, excursions, flash mobs, meetings with veterans, charity events, etc. In some regions of Kazakhstan, the entire month of October is declared as the “month of support for the elderly”.