The World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared that 65 years of ages is still considered young.

Before, based on the Friendly Societies Act (1875) in Britain, old was defined by age of 50.  The UN has actually not adopted a standard requirement however recently 60 years of ages was referred as the border age to the word ‘old’.   However, the health organisation had done new research just recently, inning accordance with average health quality and life span, and defined a new requirement that divides human age as follows:

– 0-17 years of ages: underage
– 18-65 years of ages: youth/young individuals
– 66-79 years old: middle-aged
– 80-99 years old: elderly/senior
– 100+ years of ages: long-lived senior

The anthropological research study conducted in the late 1970s based the category on 3 main classifications, which are:

1) chronologies;
2) alter in social role (ie change in work patterns, adult status of children and menopause); and
3) changes in Capabilities (ie invalid status, senility and modification in physical qualities).

Of all three, the change in social role is the predominant means of defining old age.

In accordance with this modification in social role, the basic retirement age used in the U.S.A. is 66 years of ages and in Canada is 65 years old– which both are gradually becoming 67. Up to 2013, only less than 5 percent of the population was over 65, which is forecasted to double the under 5% by year 2050. Although there is still no specific boundary to define aging and is different in each country, it is agreed for now to say that 65 years of ages is still a young age.