Around one billion people – 13 per cent of the world’s population – are aged 60 years or above. While population ageing started in high-income countries, it is now low and middle income countries that are experiencing the greatest change, and projections show that by the year 2050 more than 80 per cent of the world’s older people will live in less developed regions and in climate change- or conflict-affected countries, where humanitarian crises are more likely to occur, and where their effects are felt more severely. From earthquakes, hurricanes and flooding to violent conflict and health emergencies, evidence shows that older people are at particularly high risk in emergencies. 

An older person is defined by the United Nations as someone over 60 years of age. However, in many countries and cultures, ageing cannot be looked at as only a number but rather needs to be understood in its complexity and its interaction with other dimensions such as gender and diversity. An estimated 4 percent of all displaced people in the world are older people, though a lack of age disaggregated data may hide a much higher percentage. 

To promote the inclusion of older people in the humanitarian context, a set of standards were designed to help address the gap in understanding the needs, capacities, and rights of older people. The Humanitarian Inclusion Standards for older people and people with disabilities provides guidance across all areas and at all stages of the response. It also includes sector specific standards on shelter, settlements and household items.