Since life expectancy is increasing in people worldwide and age definition becoming a moving target, you may wonder what makes you elderly. Are you old at 60? Can you be considered a senior citizen if you still work? And what is the borderline between middle age and old age?

It is impossible to give matter-of-fact answers to these questions. Whether 60 years of age is considered elderly may depend on several factors.

While in most countries people attain legal adulthood at 18 (at 18, you can vote, get married, or buy a house), there is no universally accepted standard regarding the age at which people become elderly.

However, in most industrialized countries, the onset of old age is considered to be around 60 to 65. In the U.S, this is the age when society commonly considers you elderly because this is when most Americans stop working and become eligible for age-based assistance programs.