International day of the elderly

The international day of the elderly which is celebrated on October 1st is being marked in Russia under the slogan "Let's Raise the Living Standards of the Elderly to a Higher Level." According to the Labour and Social Development Ministry, the International Day of the Elderly is marked annually according to the recommendation of the 45th session of the UN General Assembly. It is being marked in Russia for a tenth time.

To quote the Labour Ministry, 12.5 mln people aged 70 and over are currently living in Russia. Thus, there is one pensioner per less than two able-bodied people. Since 1990, the number of the elderly in Russia has grown by 2.55 mln people. The average age of Russia's population is consistently growing. Experts believe that the considerable share of the elderly in the structure of Russia's population will persist in a long term.