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Healthy Ageing Review Shows Wider Policy Action but Uneven Capacity

The UN midpoint assessment identifies gains in legislation and care alongside persistent financing and data constraints.

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The midpoint report for the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing finds broader national action on age discrimination, integrated care and age-friendly environments. The proportion of countries with legislation against age-based discrimination increased from 44.5 percent in 2018 to 57.7 percent, while 56.7 percent now report national long-term care policies.

Implementation capacity remains a major constraint. More than one third of reporting countries have little or no dedicated resources for long-term care, fewer than half guarantee access to assistive products, and only 22.7 percent can monitor older people's health over time. WHO says the second half of the decade requires sustained national financing, stronger data and meaningful participation by older people.

Source: World Health Organization, 2026-10-01.

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  1. The UN midpoint assessment identifies gains in legislation and care alongside persistent financing and data constraints.
  2. An analysis of 15 countries found that large, regular tax increases produced the strongest results.
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