Iran: Iran's deputy health minister has warned that the country's population is aging, saying that if the current trends continue, the population will decrease to 42 million by 2101, with the elderly making up half of that number. In a press conference on Sunday, Alireza Raisi stressed that one of the priorities of the Health Ministry is to try to keep the population young. He said, however, that in about 17 years, one out of every three Iranians will be elderly. According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Raisi warned that the death rate will exceed the birth rate in the foreseeable future if the current trends continue. 'When our population decreases to 42 million, some neighboring countries will have 550 million and 350 million people, and with these numbers, we must understand the depth of the disaster,' Raisi said. He further stated that Iran is the only country in the world where the average of 6 children per family has decreased to one child in just 10 years. Raisi added, 'If we continue like this, th ere will be no country called Iran in 100 years. This is a serious issue and it should be taken seriously.'